


The Galaxy's Songstress

by Persephones_Hell



Series: You're My Kind of Man [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Innuendo, Language, Slow Burn, Yondad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2018-12-04 21:17:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11563509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persephones_Hell/pseuds/Persephones_Hell
Summary: Ego had been with many women; but Meredith was different. There was something almost magical about her presence. She could be much more pertinent to his "Expansion" than he had originally thought. Ego wasn't going to give her up that easily now that he had her. Too bad a certain Ravager has grown a conscience.UPDATE: This entire fic is currently being edited and revised. Chapters are going to be split up so they flow better and make more sense.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire fic is going to be edited and chapters will be slightly smaller so they flow better. More will be posted in the new chapters. Thanks for taking the time to read. Y'all are great!!! <3

**Missouri, 1979**

The sun had been relentless. It poured in through the convenience store window, it’s harsh rays beating down on Meredith’s back. She was grateful she only had to work the register instead of pumping gas. The fuel attendant was leaning against the now searing fuel pump, using his shirt to sop the sweat from his brow.

Business had been slow at the shop since the new Clark station had opened over yonder. The place was always packed. They served coffee and sold Juicy Fruit. All’s _Willy’s Stop ‘n Go_ boasted were aged glass bottles of Coca Cola, stale sticks of Beeman’s chewing gum, and a busted cigarette machine.

Meredith encouraged the shop’s proprietor, old Willy, to at least invest in a percolator to set on the counter.

But he was a stubborn fellow.

“Now we don’t need to start caffeinatin’ the whole damn town. They’re strung out enough as it is.” Old Willy always wore coveralls over a long-sleeved flannel. Even when the whole town felt like Dali’s desert with those clock faces melting in agonizing heat. He organized a display of lemon drops and horehound’s in the corner next to the soda machine.

“I just don’t want to see you go outta business, Willy.” Meredith unpacked a box of candies, handing the papery bags to the old man. “Who’s gonna pay me then?”

“Shucks, Meri.” Willy beamed up at her. Meredith wasn’t a particularly tall woman, but Willy’s forehead was about parallel to her chin. His fluffy white hair stuck out in all directions. “You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. You could find work in a coal mine if you wanted to.”

“As what?” Meredith grinned. “The canary?” This garnered a chortle from her boss.

 She was positive a nicer person than Willy didn’t exist. He always had a multitude of compassion to spare since his wife passed.

The slight girl peeled soaked honey curls off her damp neck, securing her hair in a high ponytail.

Meri leaned back against the Coke machine.

“I just don’t want Mister Clark over there to shut you down.” The elderly man exhaled, his jowly skin reddened from the sun.

“Honey, the only way this shop’ll close is when I follow that white light off God’s green Earth.” He pulled back to survey his work. “That look good to you, Meri?”

“Perfect.”

“Good.” Willy strolled behind the cramped counter, Meredith following suit. “Besides, don’t you got your daddy to take care of?”

“I try to keep him out of trouble.” She winked.

“See? I don’t need you worryin’ bout ole Willy, alright?” Meredith grinned, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“I will worry regardless.”

“Well, I can’t tell you who and what to concern your time with.” He glanced up at the rusted shop clock mounted on the wall. “But I can tell you to get for the evenin’.”

“Is it five already?” Meredith yawned. It had been a long day. The dead heat seemed to double the hours.

“Sure is.” Willy handed Meredith her worn satchel from a row of coat hooks. She took the old bag that he dutifully held out, a slender hand immediately diving inside the crumpled leather.

Scraping her nails across the bottom, Meredith retrieved two brassy quarters.

“Guess that means I’ll see you Sunday then?” She popped the quarters in the soda machine, punching the glowing button. Opening the cooler door, the frigid air was a welcome change of pace. She grabbed a Coke and a Sprite.

“Oh, what the hell.” Willy said after a moment. “Take the whole weekend.”

“I couldn’t possibly do that.” Meredith sat the ice-cold drinks on the counter in front of him “Cola or lemon lime?”

“Guess I’ll have the cola.” He scratched his head. Meredith swiftly slid the bottle neck along the edge of the counter, popping the cap off. “Thank you, dear.” He took a swig, waving her off “Just take the weekend.”

“What about you and Jimmy?” Meredith tilted her head to the teenage boy who was currently pumping gas into a cherry red Challenger.

“We’ll be fine. Just enjoy yourself. Go see one of those movies you like so much. I hear that one with Chuck Westlake is pretty good.” Meredith knit her brows.

“Do you mean Clint Eastwood?” She giggled.

“That’s the one,” Willy beamed.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Willy winked at her and Meri sashayed out the door, the service bell chirping as she left.

Jimmy had returned to curb in front of the store, puffing a hand rolled cigarette. Meredith bent down to hand him the green-tinted bottle.

“Thanks, Ms. Quill.” Meredith rolled her eyes.

“Quit calling me _Ms. Quill_. I’m only three years older than you, _James_.”

“Well, don’t call me James again and you have yourself a deal.” He twisted the cap off and began to chug the contents of the bottle.

Meredith hopped into her sky-blue Rabbit parked on the far side of the building.

The car nosily came to life before putting through town. Cranking her down her windows, Meredith clicked on her tape player, wanting her music to spread like pollen in search of a flower.

Her father had gifted her the tape deck last Christmas, and it had quickly become Meredith’s prized possession.

Clicking open the glove box, she gingerly searched for a cassette. She pulled one out labeled _Meri’s Mix_ before feeding it to the player.

Static buzzed for a second, followed by the soulful rock of Three Dog Night.

The trusty little car cruised through the small Missouri town until the rows of houses began to dwindle and the fields expanded.

 

~~~~~

 

 

Meri sped down a series of grid roads, approaching her family home. With one hand in the breeze and the other firmly planted on the wheel, the chipper blonde turned wildly into a gravel driveway.

Jumping out of the stifling car, Meri skittered down the drive and up the front steps of the weathered house. She opened the screen door with enough force to rock slam it against the siding.

Her baby brother Keith lay sprawled out in front of the hulking Zenith television set. He was oblivious to his sisters’ arrival as he watched the silly antics of one of his programs.

Meredith gently nudged Keith’s leg with her foot.

“Huh?” his head twisted so quickly that his blonde ringlets bounced. “Oh, hi Meri.” His eyes were glued back to the screen in mere seconds.

“Please don’t let me interrupt your quality time with your best buddy here.” She bent down and ruffled his hair, narrowly missing the swat of his hand

Meri ambled down the narrow hallway to the kitchen, following the sultry aroma of dinner wafting towards her. She was greeted with the sight of her father singing and scurrying about as he added spices to a pot simmering on the stove.

“ _Say hey, good lookin! Whatcha cookin!”_ He crooned, his voice cracking.

“ _How’s about cookin somethin up with me!”_ She chimed in, sliding past her father, grabbing a set of china from the cupboard and flatware from the drawer.

“Hey sweetheart.” He wasn’t startled by Meredith’s sudden appearance in the least bit. She had a habit of sneaking into a room without being noticed. “How was work?”

“Sweaty.” She leaned over the table, setting three plates and sets of silverware in their respective places: her father’s closet to the stove so he could nab seconds, Keith’s by the window screen for when he complained about the heat, and Meri on his right so she could watch the colorful sunset over his head. “But really good-lookin, what _are_ you cookin?”

Jack Quill amusedly shook his head. His daughter was unyieldingly cheerful and it always tickled him.

“Gloria Murphy at the deli gave me some real nice andouille for half price.” He stirred the pot with a long wooden spoon, sending the steam dancing into the air. “So we’re having some real jambalaya tonight. How’s about you start chopping up that okra for me, Meri”

“Prime cuts of Cajun sausage for half the price?” Meredith rinsed the green stalks under the cool stream of the faucet. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say Ms. Murphy has a thing for my old man.”

She shook fat water droplets off the plant before splaying it across the chopping board.

“No she doesn’t.” Jack admonished Meredith in response. “She’s just a nice woman is all.”

“Right, and she just sells a full rack of ribs to _everybody_ for a third of what the sign says.” Meredith dutifully diced the okra into small squares, her knife clacking against the blemished wooden slab.

“What are you suggestin’, Meri?” Jack father turned towards her, eyes creased with suspicion.

“Geez, daddy! I don’t have any ulterior motives!” She held a bowl at the edge of the counter, sliding the diced okra across the board with the sharp steel. “I’m just saying it’s been a long time since mama passed. Maybe Ms. Murphy would be good company to keep.”

Jack smiled. There wasn’t a bitter or deceptive bone in Meredith. All she ever cared about was the happiness of everyone else on the planet. Hell, she’d put the well-being of her own worst enemy before her own.

If she even had one.

 He gathered the girl into his arms, squeezing her tight.

“Boy, am I lucky the stars gave me you.” He planted a kiss atop her head. “Go tear your brother away from his dumb show and drag him in for dinner.”

“Okay.” She bounded through the doorway and towards the den.

Meredith smiled sadly to herself.

_If only I were anywhere else in the galaxy but here._ She thought.

She loved her father and brother more than anything else on Earth, but she didn’t exactly “fit in” in this backwater burg.

Most of the women in town looked down their noses at her. She was already twenty-one and she had no plans to marry or have children. Attending to domestic chores wasn’t her forte and she worked at a gas station.

 On top of that, most of the local men thought she was too odd to bother with.

She clasped her hands together and looked up towards the sky that hid on the other side of the popcorn ceiling.

“Ziggy Stardust,” She rattled her laced fingers in front of her face like those televangelists always did on TV. “Have Scotty beam me up so I can go on adventures with you and the spiders from Mars!”

“You say something, Meri?” Jack curiously leaned his head into the hallway. Meredith spun around, rubbing her arms in embarrassment.

“Nothing daddy. Just being silly!” He chuckled before ducking back into the kitchen.

 Meredith covered her face as she turned red as a ripe tomato.

“Why do you have to be so _damn_ weird?” She quietly scolded herself.

 

~~~~~

 

**Deep Space, Outskirts of Berhert, 6 Months Earlier**

 

Ego stood in the intricate halls of his citadel. The orange sun began to sink at the far edge of his planet, casting a pink tint across the lush greenery of him. He smirked. It wasn’t hard for him to think highly of himself, being one of oldest beings the oldest and most remarkable lifeforms in the galaxy.

_Celestials_ was what his kind were called, though he preferred the term _God._ It sounded much more powerful and distinguished.

And he was both.

The planet was in high spirits. He was in the midst of preparing his first trek to Terra. Most other inter-galactic lifeforms kept a distance from the lush orb that rested on the isolated border of the galaxy.

It took a larger number of jumps than one would ordinarily care to travel for a predominately fruitless excursion. And its people were rumored to be less than accommodating to an unfamiliar species.

There was an urban legend that the Terrans dissected aliens in the name of science _._

Ego couldn’t blame them; Terrans weren’t acclimated to such advanced technology the rest of the galaxy took for granted. It was expected of them to recoil from strange sightings and supposed landings of peculiar aircrafts.

He strode into a small room hidden in a corridor off the main hall. Hid long silken scarf wrapped around his torso and his quilted tunic swirled around his boots when he moved

Before he left for Terra, he had to prepare the harvesting of his possible progenies. They were his first attempt to graft his celestial genetics with another species.

A mortal species.

He had never attempted something so complex before and was excited to see what results would be presented.

He slid his finger deftly over the communicator hub in the center of the room.

He waited patiently until Stakar Ogord picked up. Ego and Stakar had done business together in the past. The Ravager captain wasn’t expressly fond of him, but Ego always rewarded him and his crew fatly for their troubles.

Ego was hoping the great Starhawk would be willing to do a bit of galaxy scavenging while he himself was away on Terra.

Stakar Ogord’s stony face was projected on the large screen in front of Ego. His black hair was slicked back and his Ravager jacket was zipped up to his chin. He was all business, as usual. Ego never let that bother him.

“Stakar! My old friend, how are you?” he jested, arms extended.

“Cut the shit, Ego. I don’t have time to chat. Whaddya want?” Ego curiously scanned the bridge of Ogord’s ship. A young man no older than twenty-five sat in the room with Stakar. He appeared to be a Centauriaun from the deep blue skin to the red augmentation that lay embedded in his skull instead of a fin.

He was absentmindedly sharpening a yaka arrow.

_Quite primitive, the Centaurians_. Ego haughtily mused.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your associate, Stakar?” Ego pondered jovially. His disposition irritated the Arcturan as Stakar inhaled deeply.

“Ego, Yondu Udonta. My newest protégé.” Stakar said, his molten eyes never leaving Ego’s.

“Ahh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Yondu.” Ego clapped his hands together. The Centaurian lifted his eyes lazily, answering Ego with a displeasured grunt. Ravagers could be decidedly difficult.

“Stakar, I was hoping you could retrieve something, well a few somethings, for me while I’m away on business.”

“And what exactly would we be retrieving?” Ogord clasped his hands in front of his mouth, feigning interest.

“I need you and your men to harvest the crop from some _seeds_ I’ve planted across our lovely galaxy.”

It didn’t take long for Stakar to process Ego’s meaning. He said nothing.

“There shouldn’t be any resistance. They’re mothers ‘health are deteriorating at a rapid pace and should be deceased by the time I return from planetary duties.” This earned him a disgusted look from the grizzled captain, as well as a confused grimace from his apprentice.

“All you have to do is-“

“No.” Stakar said firmly.

“I’ll pay you a hefty sum.”

“How much?” It wasn’t Stakar who spoke, but Yondu. He was met with a glare from his captain.

“That’s the Ravager spirit!” Ego rocked excitedly on the balls of his feet. “I could give you a quarter of a million units per child delivered. As long as they’re in good condition.”

“The answer is no. That’s final.” Ego cocked his head.

“Have I done something to upset you, Stakar? You’ve always been willing to work for me in the past.” Ego struggled to think of how he could sweeten the pot. “The stakes are much higher now.”

“Ravagers’ are a lot of things. But we’re not kidnappers!” He mulled this over for a second, “In the literal meaning at least.”

“Pfft!” Ego nearly laughed. “Don’t tell me you have a code of _honor_ , Ogord? You thieve and you kill and you kill to thieve. You are a marauder for hire.”

Stakar sneered and Yondu furrowed his brow.

“We don’t get kids involved. We’re not heartless bastards.”

“Of course not.” The celestial quipped. “It’s not like you’d kill innocent bystanders that got in the line of fire.”

Anger boiled deep within Starhawk.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit, Ego. Now if you’ll excuse us.” Stakar swiftly stood and left the frame. But Yondu remained seated. The Centaurian looked up at Ego, preparing to say something when Ogord’s harsh voice growled from off screen.

“Yondu! NOW!” The young man obediently disconnected the call. Ego was left in silence.

He had to figure out an alternative. In the meantime, he would have to hope the mothers would last until he returned. He had spent _years_ planning his trek to Terra. It lived up to its nickname “The Forbidden Planet”, but Ego was un-phased.

The Nova Corps could try to stop him if they wanted to. But it’d be their funeral.

 

~~~~~

 

**Missouri**

Meredith sat on the screened-in porch overlooking the back yard.  Her portable radio hummed from the sill of her window. After fiddling with the dials and antenna for seemed like an hour to, it still crackled. If her record player cord stretched further, she would have preferred her vinyl.

But his would do.

Balmy summer nights were her favorites. The ones where you could practically see every star and constellation that existed. She had found Orion and Cassiopeia from lying across the AstroTurf flooring.

She was sure that she would have a much better vantage point if she were in the yard. But the mosquitoes were vicious in this heat.

The back door creaked open loudly, startling her.

“Just me, Meri.” Her father grinned. He held two liquor tumblers between his index and middle fingers; they had been a wedding gift to him from his father-in-law.

He toted a sizeable bottle of his favorite bourbon in his other hand.

“What’s the occasion?” Meredith cocked her head in curiosity as he filled then gently handed her a glass.

“It’s a Friday night and I wanted to drink the good stuff, so I thought I’d share.” He grinned, plopping into the weave-backed folding chair. The aluminum wobbled.

“Where’s Keith?” Meredith sipped at the liquor.

“Oh he’s watching _Soap_. Or maybe it was _Taxi._ Wasn’t paying attention.” he drained the dark alcohol in one swallow. He produced the bottle and refilled his glass swiftly.

“Damn good bourbon.”

They were silent for a long time. The crickets’ chirp and the soft serenade of Carole King complimented each other. Meredith propped open the porch door, so she could better see the sparkling stars.

“Meri, you’re gonna make us both a meal for those blood thirsty skeeters.” Her father sleepily grumbled.

“I just want to see the constellations better is all, daddy.” Meredith whispered dreamily.

“Thank those pretty stars for giving me you and your brother, then close the damn door.” He was half asleep, eyes drooping.

“Yes, daddy.”

 

~~~~~

 

Meredith watched the sky for a long time, cross-legged on the concrete stairs. Jack snored heavily from behind her. Her legs ached from being bent for song, but she was entranced by the beautiful clusters of stars and bright dots that she assumed were planets.

She shifted her weight, attempting to get up. She was a little tipsy and very tired standing in the doorway, yawning and stretching.

There was a sudden flash of light above the woods about a half a mile behind their house. Meri could vaguely make out an oblong shape before it quickly sank behind the tree line.  

Meredith stared wide eyed, jaw dropped. She looked down at her empty glass.

“What the hell was in that drink?” She whispered to no one in particular, rubbing her eyes. She closed the screen door, deciding that latching it would be a good idea tonight. She woke her father and shuffled him into the house, bolting the back door as well.

She watched the woods from her window for most of the night, but nothing happened.

Either that was the largest shooting star Meredith had ever seen, or she really couldn’t handle her liquor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stakar warns Yondu about Ego; Eric seduces Meredith.

The next morning, Meri had nearly forgotten about the strange object that had hand landed in the dense woodland the night before. She decided not to tell her father, not wanting him to worry that she was losing her mind.

Instead, she had washed her hair with the best smelling strawberry shampoo and threw on her blue Gunne Sax dress. It had cost her an arm and a leg when she bought it from a department store in Kansas City, but it was worth every penny.

The intricate lacings and the blousy material made her feel like Stevie Nicks.

Her father had left a note on the kitchen counter, telling her that he took Keith fishing down at the creek.  She grabbed her keyring and glided out to her Volkswagen that was still haphazardly parked in the drive.

She turned the keys in the ignition, bringing her little blue Rabbit hopping to life.

 

~~~~~

 

The slight woman was sitting at a picnic bench outside of the Dairy Queen when he had approached her. She sipped on her vanilla shake as he sat down on across from her.

The blonde gulped down a mouthful of ice cream, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Can I-I help you?” She stuttered. He was gorgeous. He had a strong chiseled jaw with prominent dimples. His hair was moussed into chocolatey waves, just like a movie stars’.

“No honey, I’m just new around here is all.” His voice was rich and tempting. He slid his aviators down the bridge of his nose, revealing his turquoise eyes. “I was hoping maybe you could show me around.”

“Why me?” Meredith was no fool. She wasn’t close to being the prettiest girl in town and had no idea why Mr. Hollywood would want to waste his time on her.

His smile revealed straight white teeth.

“Why not you? You seem sort of lonesome anyways. Thought you could use some company.”

Meredith looked around desperately, trying to think of an excuse to leave. She sighed.

“Sure. Why not?”

“Great!” the man was on his feet then, holding out a hand to Meredith.

She shyly accepted his help. The two walked silently to the little car. Meredith stopped suddenly before turning to the mysterious man.

 “I don’t let a man into my car unless I know his name.” her voice was apprehensive. He grinned again, pushing his sunglasses up to fully hide his eyes.

“I can be whoever you want me to be.” He whispered seductively. Meredith stubbornly crossed her arms.

“It’s Eric.” He answered her unspoken question. The woman grinned.

“Meredith.” She ducked into the driver’s side, stretching to unlock the passenger side. They sat in the car awkwardly.

She had always harbored a sense of adventure, but letting a strange man into her life was a little terrifying.

“What do you want to see first?”

“Everything.” He said in smug wonder. Meredith laughed as she drove off, not realizing he had meant it literally.

 

~~~~~

 

**Contraxia**

Stakar Ogord drained his third glass of the deep purple drink. The Iron Lotus was an establishment that the captain had grown fond of, often taking his crew there for leave.

It was one of the only brothels standing to have robotic call girls. His men appreciated being able to get their rocks off without picking up a nasty disease.

The bots were also exotically gorgeous which sweetened the deal

But he was a married man and Aleta would castrate him if he’d been with any other woman: flesh or artificial. He opted to drink instead of fuck.

 It was late in the evening and the bar was practically empty; most of the clientele had retired to their rooms to indulge in recreational activities. Women, drugs, alcohol: whatever a man’s vice was, Contraxia supplied it.

He looked up to see Yondu passing through the doorway, presumably heading back to his ship.

“Yondu, my boy!” Stakar slurred cheerfully, “Come join me!”

Stakar could see that he was struggling to stay awake by the way his shoulders sagged. Contraxia wasn’t the place to catch up on one’s sleep.

He ordered two more drinks: another for himself and one for his loyal confidant.

“You enjoying yourself here, Udonta?”

“Yessir.” He rasped out in exhaustion.

Stakar had nothing to say and Yondu wasn’t much for conversation, but Ogord enjoyed his company.

“Cap’n,” he spoke suddenly, startling the Arcturan, “Somethins’ been gnawin’ at me.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“That guy who called eons ago? Was ‘is name,” Yondu snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory. “Ego?”

Stakar grimaced. It had been years since he’d done business with that bastard. It was an enjoyable reprieve, not having to consort with him. But their last cryptic conversation had been so long ago, he barely remembered the details of it.

“What about him?” The words came out nastier than he intended, but Yondu didn’t seem to notice

“Fer starters,” He took a swig of his drink, “Who is he?”

“Why didn’t you ask me then?”

The Centaurian shrugged.

“I dunno; figured ya had other things to worry ‘bout.”

Stakar mulled this over for a second. He drained his fourth glass and beckoned the barmaid, Z’erra, for a fifth.

“Ego, besides having one of the dumbest names the galaxy has to offer, is also one of the oldest beings known to exist. A celestial, if you will. His kind are very rare yet extremely powerful.” Stakar slurred. “He’s basically a god.”

 “A god?” Yondu pondered, “Ya mean like the Asgardians?”

“No, not like the Asgardians. Ego doesn’t come from a line of noble descendants that fight to keep peace in the galaxy. He’s just a sentient speck of dust that floated around long enough to grow into a planet.”

Stakar finished his fifth drink.

“Now he sends this man-like extension of himself to all ends of the galaxy, fucking every alien woman he can find!” Stakar was louder than he intended to be, drawing a faux scandalized expression from Z’erra. She was used to hearing far worse. “Excuse me.”

“I’m cutting you off, Ogord.” The woman said playfully yet firmly, taking his glass from him.

“Good thinking, Z’erra.”

Yondu pushed slid his empty glass towards her, trouble etched on his face.

“What do ya ‘spose he wants with those kids?”

“That,” Stakar got up, stumbling, “I have no idea. But I’m not about to drop any off at that bastard’s front door!” His legs felt like jelly. “What the hell do you Contraxians’ put in those fucking drinks?”

Z’erra laughed, taking their empty tumblers to the back.

Yondu silently stood, helping his Captain maintain balance as they headed back to their ships. Getting the brawny yet equally drunk Arcturan through the thick snow was a hassle, but Yondu had grown used to it. The Centaurian’s mind started to wonder as he adjusted Stakar’s arm across his shoulders

A quarter million a kid was a lot of money. Who’d spend so much money on the arrival of their child if they only intended to kill them? Ego certainly wouldn’t go through all that trouble to just dispose of his children.

Surely his intentions were honorable.

Or maybe they weren’t. But the sheer amount of units a head was enough to make Yondu Udonta a very rich man.

 

~~~~~

 

The sun was slowly sinking into the trees as Meredith pulled her car into the back lot of the drive in. She had no intention to watch the movie; it just featured the best view of the most beautiful sunset Missouri had to offer.

Besides, she had already seen _Star Wars_ a handful of times with Keith.

She and Eric sat on the hood of her car, his arm draped around her. Normally, Meredith wouldn’t allow a man she just met to be so forward, but this one was different.

He was worldly and knew so many things. She felt like they’d known each for years. Maybe it had just been a long time since she had a boyfriend, but Meredith was falling hard.

He spent the day telling her these stories about outer space, about planets she’d never heard of.

“Where are you from, Eric?” she had asked. He laughed and simply said ‘from deep in the galaxy’.

Meri knew she was mad to believe him, but there was something about the sincerity in his voice that led her to trust him. Now they sat silently underneath the orange and red painted sky.

“It looks like a tequila sunrise,” Meredith whispered in awe. Ego looked down at her in admiration, no idea what she was talking about.

There was something about this strange Terran woman that made him want to drop the whole act and take her home with him. Even show her the entire galaxy that waited beyond this primitive, blue planet.

She was different than the other women he had met. There was something that glowed strongly from within her.

She had believed all his stories without a doubt in her mind; without running in fear. Maybe Meredith could assist him.

Her, himself, and their child: everything could be theirs. He dragged along finger down her exposed shoulder, drawing a deep sigh from the blonde.

A few lightening bugs swam in the night above them while the creak of children on the swing set by the screen drifted over. The doughy smell of fresh soft pretzels from the snack bar blew in a warm breeze as their feet hung off the edge of the of the squat metal hood.

Everything was seemingly perfect.

“I’d love nothing more than to kiss you, Meredith Quill,” He sincerely said.

“Then do it,” She closed her eyes, relaxing against him, “Starman”

His lips crashed against hers feverishly as they fell back against the cool glass of the windshield, while bright yellow text towered behind them.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu makes a life changing decision; Meredith gives birth to her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning at the beginning of this chapter.

**Eclector, November 1980**

_The jungles of Centauri-IV were the same as Yondu remembered: lingering humidity, dense with carnivorous plants, crawling with a plethora of blood sucking insects. He didn’t miss it._

_Not that being sold into slavery on Hala was a better alternative._

_He shuddered as he continued to wander through the thick overgrowth. Several twigs snapped in the distance as shadows danced through the tangle of vines._

_Yondu pulled his muddy duster to the side, summoning his trusty yaka with a shrill whistle. He held a simple tune as he apprehensively continued, the arrow dancing in front of him._

_Yondu tensed, his back rigid. Damn Centaurian intuition._

_He had company lurking behind him. The intruder clapped a strong hand across his mouth before tackling the Ravager to the damp jungle floor._

_His assailant pressed his face into the swampy forest floor, sharp nails biting into his skin. Lithe fingers handled him roughly, yet struggled to keep his mouth shut. The hand crept down to his throat and squeezed tightly as a voice hissed at him. It wasn’t his mother tongue, but it might as well been._

_Yondu swallowed hard. The Kree. It had only been a matter of time until they had caught up with him._

_He weakly attempted another whistle, but could only manage a muted howl as a sharp object pierced the small of his back._

_Another mercenary appeared from the dense foliage. Followed by two more. The first one bent to pick up the disarmed yaka arrow, running a finger across the sharp point._

_The man suddenly brought the arrow down across his knee, breaking it in two._

_“Mother fucking Kree scum.” Yondu rasped out as his vision blured. The mercenary smirked before nodding to his associate that had incapacitated the Centaurian._

_He removed his knife from Yondu’s back as white-hot pain replacing the cool metal. The Kree unceremoniously pushed his entire face into the mud with a loud_ thwack _._

_The Ravager’s whimpers mixed with maniacal laughter as the steel knife dug into his skull, ripping the artificial crest from his scalp._

_Yondu yelped, attempting to swing his legs to unseat the soldier straddling him._

_It was no use. The Kree urged his bloodied head further into the slick ground, sludge forcing its way past the barrier of teeth._

_Yondu continued to kick until the Kree suddenly slammed him onto his back, jamming the thick knife into the Centaurian’s windpipe. The pain was unbearable. He gurgled as blood spurted from his indigo lips._

_He was almost angry it was taking him this long to die. Yondu was still stubborn and took his time to Death’s door._

_And then his surroundings swam away, leaving only the void. His ruby eyes unfocused and his jaw slackened, jagged teeth exposed. A pool of oily blood soaked into the forest floor. The Kree left the lifeless body and stalked away, content with their kill._

_~~~~~_

Yondu jolted awake, chest heaving. His entire body was covered with a film of sweat. It had been a long time since he had encountered any Kree and he had no intentions to return to Centauri IV. Yet the nightmares continued, their occurrences becoming more and more frequent.

Sitting up in his bunk, Yondu rubbed his temples as his heart pounded in his ears.

He was suddenly grateful that Stakar had left him behind while the captain and most the crew headed to A’askavaria to execute a sizeable heist. Yondu had been left in charge of the Eclector until the team returned

“A good captain needs to know how to run a ship smoothly on his own.” The Arcturan had recited before he left.

Yondu had protested initially, wanting to be a part of the sting operation on the National Bank of A’askavaria. Now he was just grateful for the sparse number of inhabitants on the ship. He’d be damned if he’d ever let his teammates see him like this.

Ravagers didn’t _do_ weak or scared.

His eyes drifted to the empty bed beside his. Martinex would’ve given him shit if he were here, but at least he wouldn’t be alone.

 _Don’t be a pussy._ Yondu scolded himself internally.

Kicking his blankets off, the young Ravager swung his legs over the side of the bed. He dressed in a pair of thermals and padded tiredly to the bridge, the floor cool beneath the scorching soles of his feet.

He enjoyed the solitude the early hours had to offer; no one would realize he was awake and bombard him with questions and concerns. Though it was bizarre being on the bridge alone.

If Stakar wasn’t barking orders, a handful of the crew would be huddled by the navigation hub shooting the shit between shifts; most often himself, Charlie, and Martinex, much to the chagrin of their grizzled superior.

But now it was unnaturally quiet and very unsettling.

Yondu sank into the captain’s chair, staring into the field of stars in front of him. When the Centaurian did tear his eyes from the expanse, it was to investigate the blinking screen of the communicator panel that lay embedded in one arm of the chair.

The fiber optic screen flashed bright orange. One word flashed across it in block letters. “EGO”.

Yondu’s face scrunched in confusion. Stakar hadn’t mentioned anything about Ego since the two discussed the celestial more than a year ago, that night at the Iron Lotus.

Scratching his chin, the Centaurian recalled the planet’s hefty offer of units for every child that was delivered to him. Yondu could recall the specifics as if the exchange happened yesterday.

Hesitantly, he pressed the green “SEND” button, returning the ignored call. He turned his attention to the large screen on the far side of the room as he awaited for the inevitable.

Shrill buzzing continued for a long a time. Yondu sighed deeply, regret setting in. He moved to turn off the comm as a chiseled face appeared on the screen. Ego grinned widely.

 _Name really fits you, asshole._ Yondu thought darkly.

“Yondu Udonta,” his voice was cloying yet curt. “Are you returning my call in place of Stakar?”

“Stakar don’t know shit ‘bout this and that’s how it’s gonna stay.” Yondu pointed stiffly at Ego’s avatar.

The projection laughed throatily in response, making no attempt to hide his amusement.

“Yer offer still stand? The one about bringin’ you yer brats?” Yondu snarled, baring his serrated teeth.

“Of course!”

“Whaddya gonna do with ‘em?”

“Me?” Ego asked incredulously. Yondu narrowed his eyes “Are you suggesting that I might harm my own offspring?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time a parent in this galaxy fucked o’er their young.” He muttered. “Just don’t want any kids gettin’ hurt is all.”

“How poetic: A Ravager with a heart of gold.” Yondu looked down at ground. He hated himself more than this bastard right now. “Do you think I would go to such lengths to have my progenies brought safely to me if I was going to hurt them?”

“Guess not.”

“Of course not.”

“Do I have yer word then?”

“You have my word.” Yondu winced at the slimy sonuvabitch. He wasn’t dealing in kids if the kids were alive and well. Besides, the units would be a nice little nest egg when he did have a clan of his own.

 This wasn’t the same thing that happened to him as a child. Ego had no intentions of enslaving these children. Yondu struggled to read the celestial, but that much he sensed was true.

 He would be reuniting children with their father. If that wasn’t a noble cause, then what was?

Yondu inhaled deeply, choosing to ignore his internalized doubts and fears. Scarlet irises blazed into the depths of Ego’s.

“Where’s the first one?”

 

~~~~~

 

 

**Kansas City, Missouri**

Meredith Quill was exhausted. She had never thought childbirth would be an easy task, but expelling another living being from her already small frame had proved to be one hell of a struggle. The doctors had to wheel her in for an emergency C-Section when it had become apparent that natural birth was no longer a viable option.

But all the strife and pain washed away when she first laid eyes on him. Her son was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He had sparkling green eyes, just like hers.

 _And he’s a looker, like his daddy._ Meredith mused.

She sighed. Eric hadn’t returned in months. She knew he was otherworldly; he had shown her that eggshell ship of his mere days after they met and told her about all these wonderful plans he had.

But now she was starting to wonder why it was so hard to believe him when he said he would return for her and their child.

It had been difficult enough to pick up the pieces when he first left. She had been pregnant and alone. Meri had devised a plan to get a decent job and an apartment. Her father had insisted she stay with him and Keith but Meredith was adamant.

Her father would never complain or ask her to leave, but she would never impose the erratic schedule of a new born on her father and kid brother. That wasn’t fair.

Besides, she couldn’t work for Willy the rest of her life either.

Instead, three months into term, she had moved an hour away and found a job as a bookkeeper at the Kansas City court house. It was boring work but the paycheck was decent enough.

Jack was immensely proud though still sent her a check every month to help with bills or groceries; whatever she needed. He even brought over a crib he had built and varnished.

Everything Meredith had accomplished, she did without Eric. Her love was melting into resentment and his burgeoning absence made her doubt everything they once had.

Meredith deeply in frustration, watching the stars shimmer above the city skyline from her bedside window.

“Where are you, Starman?” She beckoned to the night. Clamping her eyes shut, Meredith attempted to steel herself as she felt the hot tears rising to the surface. “Damn it, Meri. Don’t you dare cry.” She scolded herself in an utterly futile moment as droplets gathered momentum and plummeted down her face.

Her sobbing waned when she heard the newborn fussing from his bassinette in the corner of the dark hospital room. Mustering what little strength she had left, she carefully padded over to her son.

Lifting the baby from his confines, Meredith held him close to her warm body, slowly swaying from side to side.

“It’s alright Peter, mama’s got you.” Meri strolled to the window, gazing at the night sky once more.

Peter calmed instantly, faster than most other babies would have. His small fingers reached up to grab at a limp curl of his mother’s hair.

“You see that building over there, Peter?” Meredith looked down at her son. His emerald eyes pored into hers. “That brick one? Grandpa Jack and Uncle Keith are getting apartment 8C all ready for us. We’re going home tomorrow and we’ll be the happiest pair that ever was.” Meri ghosted a finger across Peter’s tiny nose.

His eyes lit up instantly, making his mother’s heart melt. Maybe she wouldn’t need Eric as long she had Peter. Meredith began to croon softly.

“ _Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up? In the morning when the day is new?”_

Peter cooed at his mother’s singing. The infant loved her sweet voice more than anything he’d come to know in his short lifespan.

“I just knew you’d like the _Beach Boys_.” Meri smiled down at the bundle tucked in her arms. “My sweet Starlord.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stakar and co prepare for a raid. Yondu prepares to get the first of Ego's kids.

**The Eclector**

Yondu hadn’t gotten much sleep after his conversation with Ego. He spent the rest of the night ambling through the nearly deserted craft. Stakar was a good man, the closest thing to a father he ever had. But was he wrong about Ego?

The Centaurian struggled to shake the thought again, attempting to drown it with some liquor he found in the galley. He drained the amber liquid from the bottle, but his mind continued to swim. Now emphasized with a sharp headache resonating from directly beneath his implant.

 

~~~~~

 

The crew trickled into the docking hangar the next day. They had successfully infiltrated the A’askavarian bank, returning with a lump sum of units and a few priceless artifacts from within the cavernous safes.

Yondu stood on the mezzanine overlooking the dock. The blue Ravager smirked and smacked some the men on the back in passing as they headed into the depths of the Eclector and he down to the bay.

Stakar’s M-Ship was the last to arrive, naturally. Krugarr was the first to exit. He slithered up to Yondu as he neared the craft’s ramp, a slew of mandalas cheerfully danced from his webbed claws as he greeted his friend.

“Good to see you too, buddy.” Yondu clapped the Lem’s shoulder before he glided inside.

Martinex emerged next, carrying Mainframe’s disembodied helmet in his arms while the AI chirped excitedly. Charlie struggled out of the cramped space after them.

“Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve gotten to see A’askavaria. It’s really an awful place isn’t it, Martinex?” The Pluvian grunted in response to Mainframe’s incessant yammering, rolling his eyes as he passed Yondu. The blue man grinned.

“Awful but exciting! What an adventure and – Oh hello Yondu!”

“Mainframe,” He acknowledged the excitable android as Martinex walked through the now full docking bay, his annoyance with the computer evident.

“I’d love to stay and chat but my ride here seems to be less than thrilled with me,” Martinex grumbled something in response, garnering a shrill laugh from the AI “Must you always be so negative?” Their voices faded as the crystalline man jogged up the narrow stairs and through a corridor.

Stakar finally exited the ship, his arm wrapped firmly around Aleta’s waist. He puffed out his chest proudly, a cigar dangling from his mouth.

“Yondu, my man!” Starhawk pulled the Centaurian in by the jacket, throwing his free arm across his shoulders. The three left the hangar, engulfed in a cloud of heady smoke.

 “How many o’ those he had?” Yondu nearly yelled to Aleta over Stakar.

“Shit, I think that’s the last of the stash he brought along. He’s gonna smell like stale Xandarian tobacco for weeks.” The two laughed.

Stakar ignored them.

“The Eclector’s in good shape, Yondu. How’d it go?”

“Borin’” Yondu shrugged Stakar’s heavy arm off his back, suddenly feeling cramped. “Much rather been out there with the team.”

“A good captain knows that sometimes it’s pertinent to stay behind time to time. Even if it’s fucking uneventful.”

“Really fuckin’ uneventful.”

“Point is, you held a tight ship. Place isn’t blown to smithereens and isn’t any more of a shithole than usual. Keep that up and you’ll have your own clan in no time.”

“We’re going to raid a few places on Knowhere in a couple of weeks,” Aleta chimed in. “You can join us then. Get the whole team to together, screw with some fellow degenerates, cash in a few favors.” Aleta reached up, snatching the cigar from Stakar’s lips before taking a drag herself. “It’ll be a thrill.”

“How’s about for now we drink till we can’t stand up?” Stakar suggested, his companions chortling in agreement

Yondu’s racing mind was distracted for the evening with booze and uproarious banter. Something he knew was going to be limited to him, sooner rather later.

 

~~~~~

 

**Outside of Knowhere, December 1980**

Raiding Knowhere was a piece of cake. There were hundreds of planets that dotted the expansive galaxy. Many that sported renewable resources that were worth less effort and the possibility of heaping units.

But causing trouble and grifting in the slums of the entire galaxy provided a rush no tangible drug could provide. Laws didn’t exist in the decomposing celestial skull, or at least they weren’t enforced.

It was a nice reprieve from being badgered and tailed by the Nova Corps about their supposed agreements to “keep the peace” for a good amount of units of course. But they didn’t have to worry about that now. And they were going to make it count, damn it!

Stakar whooped as _Steel Bird_ broke through the atmospheric barrier, flames licking the wings before evaporating. Martinex pursed his silvery lips at the captain’s enthusiasm, fidgeting in the co-pilot’s chair.

The sparkling man’s apprehension mixed with boredom. He toyed aimlessly with his thermal manipulation, his crystal paved palm glowing red.

Ogord sharply turned the wheel, sending _Steel Bird_ somersaulting as he whooped with gusto.

Martinex slurred out a chain of profanity, pushing his burning hand against his leg, attempting to steady himself. Glancing down, he saw he had burnt a noticeable hole in the thigh of his pants.

“For fuck’s sake, Stakar!” He snapped in agitation. “You’re an accomplished pilot! Fly like one!”

The Arcturan caught a glimpse his first mate’s exposed leg through the crudely seared leather, snorting in response.

“Relax. We’ll have the tailor fix it when we get back to the Eclector.”

“Easy for you to say,” annoyance clung to the metallic voice, “ _Your_ uniform isn’t ruined. I’m gonna look like a sloppy asshole compared to the rest of you.”

“You whine more than a woman, Martinex!” Ogord laughed.

“I’ll make sure to tell Aleta that one.” Martinex retorted.

“Tell her tomorrow. I’m hoping to get lucky tonight, so let’s not slim those chances.”

Martinex shook his head, busying his sparkling fingers with a map of Xandar. He rapidly swiped the screen and tapped various buttons, preparing the ship for landing.

Stakar clicked the intercom link on the arm of his seat. It immediately linked to Yondu and Aleta’s ships that flanked his own.

“We’re closing in hot. You both ready?”

“Been ready fer a long time, Cap’n.” Yondu rasped.

“Ditto,” his wife’s throaty voice followed through the static of the worn speakers.

“Mainframe? You hear me?” Stakar steadied his hands on the metal helm, yanking it upwards.

“Sure do!” Mainframe’s voice rang clearly. The android had embedded herself directly into the connected computer interface of the three aircrafts. “What do you need?”

“Find us a secure location to land.”

“Yessir!” The trusty AI cheeped. The map instantly began to recalculate and adhust itself around the new coordinates.

Stakar Ogord began to loosen the tense muscles in his body as they drew closer to the city limits in the nearest slum.

 “Who’s ready to make some bad life choices?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ego tries to contact Meredith while she tries to adjust without him.

**Kansas City, Missouri**

_The greenery was lush. Trees and plants Meredith had never seen before sprawled across the expanse in front of her. Plush clouds dipped low in the crystal blue sky. She had never seen anyplace so beautiful before._

_Earth had its own beauty to offer. The Redwoods and the Rockies, to name a couple of her favorites. But this was different. This was completely untouched by man, organic and natural._

_She stood in a cobble stone courtyard where stone arches curved around the garden and intricate fountains produced clear streams of water._

_Strange flowers that looked like mutated roses drooped from an overhead tree. She stood on her tip toes and plucked an odd bud from a low hanging branch, sticking it behind her ear._

_A soft breeze gently made Meri’s long golden locks and the blue silken dress dance around her._

_Nothing seemed real. Yet it was strangely familiar._

_Closing her eyes, Meri let the soft rays delicately wash over her. The sunlight here was nowhere near as it was in Missouri and for that she was thankful._

_The sounds of footsteps echoed behind her, sloppy in gait. She spun around gracefully, seeing her young son barrel towards her. She crouched down, readying to scoop him up._

_“Momma!” He squealed, jumping into her arms. His dirty blonde curls bounced just like hers did. Just like Keith’s. The thought of her brother made her homesick. She missed him dreadfully though Peter’s emerald eyes and button nose washed the sad thoughts away._

_“Daddy showed me things!” Meredith grinned, struggling to support Peter’s weight. He was growing fast. It wouldn’t be much longer before her small frame could no longer support him._

_“Yeah? What kind of things, sweetie?” Peter held his arms out wide, speechless. “Wow, that much, huh?” Meri giggled at her son’s giddiness. He nodded enthusiastically. Whatever his father had taught him must have been truly magical._

_“That boy is truly something.” Eric’s smooth voice echoed against the large stones of the courtyard. Meredith looked up from their son. He stood at the steps of the expansive citadel, wearing a silken tunic and matching slacks._

_He looked gorgeous. Meredith grinned demurely as Eric strode towards her. He took Peter from her arms. Whispering something in the boys’ ear, Peter nodded enthusiastically. His father sat him down and he ran off._

_“Be careful, Peter!” She called after him._

_“Okay, momma!” his voice faded away._

_Eric pulled Meredith into his arms, ravaging her lips and neck with soft and kisses and licks._

_“I was stupid to ever leave you on Terra,” He whispered into the slender column of her neck._

_“I’m just happy you came back.” Meri sighed contently. Eric’s gaze was on her as their lips met again, hungrily._

_“This was the best decision I ever made, Meredith Quill.” He said after breaking their kiss._

_“Oh, yeah?” She said teasingly, hooking her arms around his neck. “And what’s that?”_

_“Bringing Peter **and** you back home with me.”_

_“Where is home? Where are we? It’s beautiful but so different.” Meredith struggled to read Eric’s expression. There was something dark lurking in the icy depths of his stare._

_“It’s complicated, my sweet River Lily.” He sighed, stroking a stray curl from her cheek. Meri crinkled her nose at his pet name for her. “But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I have the both of you. And because of that, I’ll have the galaxy. **We’ll** have the galaxy. It’ll all be ours.”_

_Meredith’s brow creased._

_“I don’t understand what that has to do with me or Peter. What could we possibly have that you don’t already possess?”_

_“Everything.” He whispered. They both turned to see Peter scuttling back._

_“Momma, look!” With that, blue sparks poured from his chubby fingers, a sapphire mass forming in his small palms._

_Meredith felt a tingle at the ends of her fingertips. She lifted her hands to her face._

_Light streams of lavender lightening began to form._

_Eyes wide in fearful wonder, Meredith brought her palms together. She found herself forming a mass like Peter had._

_Only purple._

_She felt like she should be happy._

_Instead, she was only confused and frightened._

_Eric smiled, almost crazily, his eyes darting from her to Peter._

_She wanted to make it stop, but she didn’t know how._

_Sparks continued to glow from her hands as the sun suddenly became heavy against her, burning her creamy complexion._

_~~~~~_

 

The bedroom was pitch black when Meredith awoke. Her warm quilt was pulled up to her chin as the space heater crackled from the far end of the room. The gears in her head continued to grind. Every time she fell asleep she had incomprehensible dreams involving Eric, Peter, and herself.

Attempting to decipher them only exhausted her more.

The exotic place. The glowing fingers. It was too much, not to mention extremely strange. She hadn’t been missing Eric as much the last few weeks. Her father and brother had been coming up every weekend to visit and they were a pleasant distraction.

She left Peter with a housewife friend of hers during the week when she worked. But as much as she valued her friendship with Nancy, she truly only trusted her father with her fragile son.

Meredith had nearly forgotten about the cryptic reverie as she shook away the remaining remnants, edging closer to the bedside table. She clicked on the lamp, glancing at the analog clock.

_7:30 PM_ it read in big awkward numbers. Glancing out the window, Meri saw that city skyline was drenched in black. The only lights were the soft glow from neighboring apartments.

“Damn daylights savings.” She muttered, crawling out of bed, throwing on her housecoat and a pair of ratty slippers.

Opening the door, she saw Jack in the arm chair, cradling Peter in his arms. The baby looked even smaller tucked in her father’s large arms. She smiled warmly. Keith laid sprawled across the couch, watching what remained of _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer._

Jack’s head snapped to his daughter at the sound of the creaky door hinge.

“How’d you sleep Meri?” Meredith shuffled over to the couch. She pushed Keith’s long legs aside and sat in the corner nearest her father. Her brother plopped his legs on her lap in protest.

“Keith,” Jack’s voice became stern, “Give your sister some room.”

“This couch is too small, dad.” Keith whined, “My legs hurt from being scrunched up.”

Jack shot his son a warning look.

“Daddy, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“See dad, she don’t care!” Keith stretched his legs back across Meri’s lap.

“But I _will_ if Peter starts fussing because of the noise you’re making. Calm down and watch Rudolph.”

Keith grumbled a little bit before quieting down.

“You don’t have to come up here every weekend you know.”

Jack’s face screwed up. The older man looked genuinely hurt.

“You don’t want us up here or something?”

“What?” Meredith looked at her father, “No, of course not. I love it when the two of you visit. I think it’s wonderful Peter gets to spend so much time with the both of you. But you two have a home and a life. I guess I feel selfish when you’re holed up here all the time.”

“Non-sense, Meri.” Jack rocked Peter in his brawny arms. “We love visiting you. You’re my only daughter and I love to see my grandson.”

“I’ll come visit you more once Peter gets a little older.”

“I know you will. Let’s not worry about that until Christmas is over, alright?”

Keith was oblivious to their conversation. No matter what screen was on, his eyes were glued to it.

The Christmas special had followed the red-nosed reindeer and his friends to the island of misfit toys.

_“Where’s here?”_ The tow-headed Hermey innocently inquired, prompting the inhabitants of the odd novelties to break out into song.

Meredith hummed along with the tune. This special had played every holiday season since she was a child and she could recite the entirety of the script if she really cared to.

Brash winds hammered against the windows, cool air whistling through the cracks. Winter had begun early.  Meri was happy she didn’t have to walk far to work; but she was still windburned and shaking after going just a couple of blocks.

She was grateful to be inside the warm comfort of her apartment. The radiator buzzed dutifully as if it could read her thoughts, making her grin.

She delicately lifted Keith’s spindly legs from her lap as she got up. He hardly noticed she moved as he was entranced by the Claymation characters.

“Where you goin’ Meri?” Jack asked, his own eyes still glued to the small television.

The slight woman padded to the small kitchenette. She pulled her flannel house coat tighter. The cool linoleum against her bare feet shot chills through her bones.

“Just makin’ some dinner for you boys and mixin’ Pete’s formula.” She called back, rustling through the pots and pans noisily. She scavenged through the cupboards, looking for something simple.

“How’s beef and noodles, daddy?” She shouted into the other room, pulling egg noodles from the cupboard. She dug through the refrigerator, searching for some meat and broth.

“Sounds good to me and Keith!”

A shrill cry erupted from the living room. Meredith acted quickly, producing a bottle and a jar of formula from the far end of the counter. She had learned the key to motherhood was be prepared for anything at all times.

She mixed the powdery substance with lukewarm water as she strode back to the front room, handing her father the bottle.

“Thanks, Meri,” Jack propped the baby up in the crook of his arm, “Poor Petey here got a little upset when I told him he had to have teeth before he can eat with the rest of us.”  

Her heart swelled. She was eternally grateful for the three generations of Quill boys, all cozy together in her living room.

She clicked on another light, realizing how dim the room was. A voice on the TV advised them to stay put as _A Year Without a Santa Claus_ would begin shortly. Meri leaned over her father’s shoulder, kissing Peter’s smooth head as he happily sucked at his bottle.

“Dinner will be ready soon.” She stalked back into the kitchen.

She’d missed Eric more lately even her main priority was on caring for _their_ child. But every time she closed her eyes, there he was. Meredith wanted Eric to come back though it wasn’t uncommon for women to raise a child on their own these days.

_Men run out all the time_. She told herself as a mantra, even though she never completely believed herself.

Everything Eric had shown her and told her in their limited amount of time together suggested that he really cared for her and their unborn child.

And then he was gone. Growing tired of waiting for the return her Starman had promised, Meri had fallen into a routine with Peter.  Her father never berated her, only saying that Eric was a fool for leaving.

She struggled to accept the possibility he may never come back like he promised. But the feeling ebbed the more time she spent with her son. Every giggle, blubber, and cry was a very welcome distraction. And she loved every interruption from her dark psyche that her sweet boy provided.

Then the dreams had started.

A few weeks after Peter was born, Eric began to haunt her. Sleeping became a chore, leaving her more tired than the long days of work.

Her back ached and her ears buzzed constantly.

Sighing, Meredith clicked on the radio she had set on the faded Formica. She jiggled the knob, searching for a something she liked finally stopping once she heard the voice of a familiar DJ. Rubbing her eyes, the man’s distant voice spilled through the small machine.

_“Up next we have Badfinger and “Without You.”_

Meredith froze as the soft rock song began to fill the small kitchen. She dropped her hands from her face instantly.

_“I can’t live if living is without you. I can’t live, I can’t give anymore!”_

Meredith rolled her eyes at the eerie timing of the song, more annoyed than frightened.

“ _You_ left _me_!” Picking up the radio, anger flood through her veins suddenly. She shook the machine and stood there for what felt like forever, before setting the radio down. She turned the knob, searching for something else.

_“There's a starman waiting in the sky_ _. He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds.”_

Meredith shrieked in response clicking off the radio. She looked up, scolding the ceiling above her.

“You think this is funny?” She shook a finger with all the menace she could muster. “If you miss me so much, why doncha come back and take me away like you promised?” The blonde huffed.

After waiting a few minutes, she clicked the radio on again.

“ _The sailors say ‘Brandy, you’re a fine girl! What a good wife you would be!”_

She began to scurry around the kitchen. Meri busied herself, preparing a bot to boil the noodles in.

“It’s purely coincidental, Meredith.” She attempted to calm herself, even though she knew better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stakar explains the reason behind his strict moral code.

__

**Knowhere**

The mission had been mundane; the massive skull’s neon district had been brutalized by a Kree battalion who were hired by Thanos; at least that was the circulating rumor. Several vendors at a bazaar that specialized in suppling illegal arms and nuclear weapons had told Stakar and company when curiosity had gotten the best of them; for a price of course.

If the Mad Titan wanted something that badly, it must’ve been important; not to mention deadly.

This attack had been particularly destructive; the heart of the blue lit metropolis was filled with debris, not to mention a few charred and battered corpses. The Nova Corps were hard pressed to set foot on Knowhere; it was a lawless mining colony that had grown much too large for its own good. The bodies would be moved when the stench was too much to bear.

Aleta, who was a strong woman, trembled upon seeing a lifeless young child stuffed in the gutters. She wrapped her arm around her husband’s hard waist, burying her face in his chest.

Stakar stiffened. He looked at Martinex and Yondu before nodding towards an empty side street. They drifted away from the wreckage, Aleta gridlocked in the middle, preventing her from seeing the dead child.

Stakar, however, was not as lucky. His bleary eyes drifted across the body of a young Krylorian girl, her pink skin paling to a greyish lavender. Swallowing hard, Stakar kept a hollow gaze fixed in front him.

_Why’d she have to be a Krylorian?_

Long ignored memories flooded to the surface of Stakar’s subconscious. Aleta’s small frame jumped slightly under his grasp. Stealthily glancing down at her, Ogord saw silent tears run down her sharp features. She did her best to suppress the sobs that wracked her body. Stakar felt a pang deep inside, but ignored it. Aleta didn’t like to project vulnerability and talking would only make matters worse.

They walked down a maze of side streets for a long time, when Mainframe broke the heavy silence.

“What do we do now?” The AI’s shrill voice was unnaturally somber. Martinex shifted the disembodied helmet in his arms. It wasn’t heavy, but it’s bulkiness made the Pluvian restless.

He suddenly thrust the hunk of metal into Charlie’s hulking arms before disappearing into a nearby bar.

“Martinex has the right idea.” Yondu added darkly, stalking into the dive after his teammate.

Charlie handed Mainframe gently to Krugarr before following the Centaurian. The Lem cradled the android’s shell as if it were a the most of fragile treasure in the entire galaxy.

“Guess we’re staying here for a while.” Stakar stared blankly at the bright sign of the shady tavern.

_We Supply the Good Stuff!_ The red light blinked through the dingy window

“You boys can.” Aleta unhooked her arm from her husband’s muscled stomach. “I’m gonna take _Steel Lady_ back to the Eclcector.”

“I’d like to go back as well.” Mainframe drowsily concurred.

“You coming with me, Krugarr?” Ogord inquired. The Lem dropped his head and shook it slowly, before slithering in the opposite direction.

Stakar and Aleta stood there for a long time, both knowing how it affected the other. The death of innocents shook him the same as it did her. That was why he had stormed Hala to begin with.

He always said that their valuables were priceless. But Aleta was a wise woman. She knew why he went there. He’d attempt to free as many Kree slaves as he could, offer them a place in his clan.

That’s how he had found and rescued Yondu.

Stakar Ogord was a man with the best of intentions, even if that wasn’t always apparent.

She pecked him lightly on the lips.

“Take all the time you need, Starhawk.”

Stakar Ogord noticed the smeared kohl around her red eyes. He licked the tip of his index finger before lightly wiping at a smudge on the side of her nose. Aleta hugged him tightly before finally disappearing into the night.

 

~~~~~

 

This bar was nicer than most they had inhabited through the years; small and surprisingly quiet.  But it’s most notable amenity was that it was empty, which they were grateful for.

They settled at a table nestled in the corner as one round of drinks quickly became two, then three.

Stakar closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair while the other three chattered drunkenly.

Their plan to drink away the memories of unexpected doom was well underway as they ordered their sixth or seventh round. The Arcturan had lost count, but he was starting to feel the liquor in his blood and bones

“Whaddya think one those Sovereign chicks are like in bed?” Martinex mused. Charlie cocked his head, drawing a laugh from Yondu. Stakar opened one eye, watching the Pluvian man shrug unabashedly. “What? They’re uptight and all about appearances. But I bet their wild in the sack.”

“You really think a genetically modified woman with a 24 karat epidermis is gonna slum it with a Ravager?” The Jovian asked, his deep laugh reverberating through the small establishment.

“Ravager or not,” Martinex held his arms out, “You gotta admit I’m pretty damn exotic.”

Charlie choked on his drink, liquid sputtering from his lips.

“You know what I think?”

“Hmm?”

“We need more drinks.” The large man marched up to the bar, Martinex wobbling after him, both laughing wildly.

“You not joining them?” Stakar peeked at Yondu from one eye.

“Nah,” the blue man chuckled lightly. “I’m done with their bullshit for the night.”

Stakar opened his eyes completely, nodding lightly. He grasped his drink, clenching and unclenching his long fingers around his glass.

“Ya okay, Cap’n?” Worry etched across Yondu’s face, an uncommon emotion for the young Centaurian.

“Dead kids, it just,” Stakar’s voice caught in his throat. “struck a chord is all.”

Yondu continued to stare at him warily. The Ravager captain glanced up at the bar; Martinex was busy flirting with the pretty barmaid while Charlie attempted to be his wingman through loud chortles.

“I don’t tell a lot of people this, so listen up.” It was a command. Yondu leaned back in closer, crossing his arms

“Okay.” He drawled suspiciously. His Captain rarely acted so strange.

“Aleta and I never thought about having kids. We’d been thieves our whole lives and we both knew that, married or not, that wouldn’t change. That ain’t no environment for a kid to grow up in.”

Yondu nodded, not completely understanding the dilemma.

“Well,” Stakar inhaled, “We had caught word of an abandoned Krylorian city. Tyannans attacked and the tore into the Krylorians. Real fuckin’ mess”

Stakar paused. The Centaurians scarlet eyes bore into him, heavy with an emotion Stakar couldn’t identify.

“Well, word didn’t spread too far so Aleta and I had no idea why the place was empty. Wasn’t until we made it into the heart of the city that we saw the, damage. Bodies on top of bodies, lots of kids.” He closed his eyes tight. “Never saw Aleta cry like that before.”

“They were helpless, Yondu. And there wasn’t a goddamned thing we could do about it. We were heading back to the ship when we heard this gurgled scream. There was this girl under some rubble, lost a lot of blood.”

 “Aleta and I had this silent agreement that the kidwas coming back with us. If she survived, we’d keep her. No idea how we were gonna do it, but we would. I almost had her back to ship, but she…”

Stakar could feel his voice breaking, his curled around his drink in a vice like grip.

“She just started shaking in my arms. Her eyes rolled back while she foamed at the mouth, and then it was over. Just right there in my grasp, gone.”

Yondu pressed his lips together tightly.

“She shouldn’t have had to suffer like that,” Stakar’s sadness was a momentary lapse quickly replaced by a burning rage. The glass shattered in his hand, blood mingling with the clear liquor. “There’s no reason to bring innocent children to an early grave. We are so blind by our own greed and vengeance or whatever the hell. Too bad it usually costs the lives of the young we struggle to raise.”

Stakar extracted a handkerchief from his jacket pocket, dabbing the blood off his palm.

“Shit,” he hissed, “Deeper than I thought. I’ll have to stop by the med bay for stitches.” He wrapped the gauzy material over the ripped skin. The rag soaked up the gore instantly.

Yondu watched his Captain with heavy eyes, his shoulders hunched.

“You okay, Yondu?”

“Fine, Stakar. Jus fine.” The Centaurian took a sip of his drink. His stomach churned. “Bout to head out. Got some business while I’m out n about. Be best if I head out now.” Yondu pushed his himself to his feet, straightening his uniform.

“What kind of business?” Stakar raised an eyebrow.

“Nothin’ really.” He shrugged. “Just gon’ swing by Rajak before I head back. Got a buddy there who sells these real cute little trinkets.” Yondu cleared his throat. “Y’know, for my console. Gotta make it wholesome and comfortable.

The Arcturan nodded, mulling this over. He looked faded, as though the story he recounted had aged him fifty years.

“How long you think you’ll be?” His heavily lidded eyes searched Yondu’s blue face.

“A month, I ‘spose.”

“Start a riot and steal some valuables, kid. Then get the hell back home.” Stakar smirked, then thumped his chest twice.

_Home._ The word rattled in Yondu’s brain. He was risking a hell of lot.

“Yessir.” Yondu strode for the door, bidding farewell to Charlie and Martinex as he passed. Charlie nodded, securing two thumps against the embroidered flames of his own jacket. Martinex waved him off, struggling to work his charms on the disinterested bartender.

“Yondu!” The Centaurian spun around at the voice of his captain. “Stay safe out there!” Stakar tipsily saluted him with his bloodied hand. Yondu exposed his gnarled teeth in a genuine grin before stepping out into the empty street. He turned down a narrow alley, taking a shortcut to his ship.

Legging it through the shadowy alcove, bile crept up his throat. Gulping, Yondu struggled to quell his racing thoughts. He had the preparations made and wasn’t about to pussy out.

There were youngins to return, money to be made.

Consequences be damned.

**~~~~~**

The first one was running frantically through the steep hills of rural Xandar when Yondu found the boy, beaming him aboard.

The kid’s cheeks were streaked with tears as he huddled in corner of the ship.

He was a gangly child with dark hair, looking to be about ten years old.

“Wh-where are you takin’ me?” the boy managed to choke out through his tears.

“Home.” Yondu said stiffly. Those big brown eyes and quivering lip was nearly enough to break his composure.

_It’s a job. Kid’ll be safe with his daddy_. He reminded himself.

The boy shifted uneasily.

“Kid,” he rasped out. The boy’s head snapped up. “Why don’ cha sit up here?” he patted the arm of the empty co-pilots’ seat. He was coming to regret his decision as the boy apprehensively slid into the seat beside him.

The Xandarian stared out at the sky as they throttled past stars and weaved past rocky of asteroids. He seemed enamored by it.

“What ya staring at, kid?”

“Always wanted to fly.”  His eyes were bright with awe. “Never left Xandar before. Didn’t think I’d ever get a chance after my mom got bad.” He went quiet after that last part.

 “What happened to yer momma?”

“She got sick with somethin’. She could barely walk by the end, all she could really do was stay in bed. That’s where she died, while she was sleepin’.”

The Centaurian clenched his jaw, muscles jumping.

He had never thought to ask Ego what the hell he did to their mothers. Obviously, the women were worth a fuck or two and roughly a decade of single parenthood before he disposed of them.

_Fucking jagoff_ , he swore internally.

The warning signals were going off in his brain. He was making a mistake. Yondu wasn’t completely sure how, but he could sense it.

His empathic powers may have never worked on the celestial, but his intuition sure as hell did. Too bad he didn’t pay it any mind.

The plan to keep the boy at a distance evaporated. Poor kid had been through enough, why be a cruel captor?

Yondu found himself telling the kid about the Ravagers to keep him calm, grinning when the boy’s eyes became as big as copper moons.

Not completely sure how he was going to attempt this, Yondu was planning on keeping this one. The boy was bright and needed a family. He could be a decent protégé to the Ravager’s.

But what about the children the planet had alluded to? He couldn’t possibly keep them all from their father.

He could try, but it would be a struggle. It would be risky, he was damn sure of that much.

“What’s yer name, kid?”

“Kraglin.” The boy said quietly.

“Kraglin.” Yondu repeated, assessing the foreign name, “Now listen here, Kraglin.” The Centaurian turned to face the boy, his face stern. “I have to make a call. Why don’ ya jump down to the lower level of the ship and check out the blasters or somethin’.” Yondu wasn’t sure what kids liked, but weaponry seemed feasible.

“Yessir,” Kraglin attempted to match the Ravager’s serious expression, before saluting him and then running off and ducking through the hatch.

Yondu chuckled at the boy’s sudden excitement. He’d make a good addition to the team.

Flipping on the autopilot and changing the coordinates to the Eclector, Yondu paced from the small bridge, securing the lock on the metal hatch. Kraglin should be occupied for a while.

He returned to his seat, booting up the communicator’s display screen across thick glass of the dashboard.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed Ego.

The Celestial responded almost immediately. His face contorted in confusion.

“Yondu? Have you almost made it with the boy already? It seems early.”

Yondu steepled his hands, feigning an air of wretchedness.

“No,” he shook his head. He was playing the role of his life and struggled to remain serious. Fucker needed to believe him. “I got there. But the Kree had obliterated the woods he lived in.”

Ego’s face dropped, clearly taking the bait.

“Kid was dead when I got there. There was nothin’ I could do.” Yondu chewed on a fingernail, absentmindedly. “Buried him while I was there.”

“I was afraid of that.” Ego shook his head. “I left him too long, dammit.” The planet seemed less shaken by this than Yondu pretended to be. “Just as well. There are others. I’ll send you the coordinates to the next. A girl on Centuri-Six. We should have enough time.”

“It’ll be a while.”

“How _long_?”

“Few months.”

“ _Months_!?” The celestial was not pleased. Yondu enjoyed watching Ego’s cloying confindence disappear.

“Hey, I got other priorities: ravaging, keeping Stakar at bay, then there’s those lady bots on Contraxia…” Yondu ticked each one off, counting on his fingers.

“Alright, alright,” Ego cringed, cutting him off. “Do what you have to do. Report back as soon as possible, Udonta. I don’t have time for any more delays.”

With that, the screen went black.

Yondu smirked.

“Over n’ out, asshole.” He leaned back in the chair, trying to formulate a plan. He had to be careful not to arouse anymore suspicion from Stakar or _jackass_.

Closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, Yondu tried to remedy the migraine he felt growing. A loud boom echoed through the lower level of the aircraft. The Centaurian’s eyes shot open.

He never checked the safety on the blasters.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stakar gifts Yondu his own clan. Ego's trip to Terran has expected consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So life has been crazy with classes starting up again and I haven't been able to write as much as I've wanted to. I did find some time to whip up a couple of chapters though! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Ego’s Planet**

The Celestials’ expansive lifespan had graced him with a myriad of riches, both physical and abstract.

Yet he had never been able to come across the good virtue of _patience_ in all his years.

Ego was millennia old but found himself exasperated at the amount of time it was taking to have his children raised and delivered. The unknown nature of the situation was enough to rattle his teeth.

The quest to find a worthy component to his expansive plans had come to a temporary halt and required an abundance of tolerance he had never possessed.

Blindly putting faith in the well-being of that Xandarian child had been sheer mediocrity on his part. The fact that the boy had been found dead on arrival only proved that he hadn’t possessed any similar genetics to his father. If he had, he wouldn’t be fertilizing the topsoil of some field desecrated by the Kree.

  _What a waste._

 He sighed, body sprawled across the massive canopy. Writhing like a serpent to the edge of the immense bed, he slowly stretched befored dropping his feet to the floor.

Sashaying across the smooth marble, he swung open the gilded balcony doors. The pink sun was beginning to rise from the curved abyss his planetary form boasted. He looked upon the dense foliage and smooth planes bathed in the subdued morning light.

Ego rested his arms on the balcony bannisters, filled wonder of what unbridled cosmic energy could create. What _he_ could create alone. He only imagined what he could craft with an accomplice.

They could modify the entirety of the galaxy, improve upon it, give life a _real_ meaning.

Gazing upon the rolling hills and rocky plateaus of his surface stirred the desire expanding within him.

Every planet shrouded in his energy. A blank canvas that stretched across all of existence and he would be the artist to recreate life in his own image.

The only slight in his plan was that he couldn’t complete this alone.

Power was the only virtue optimum to Ego’s existence; and he possessed far less than what he considered ideal.

Ego found himself often hoping that whichever of his offsrping carried the celestial genes, and the powers that included, would at least be charming. Nothing was worth the time and effort with an irate and fickle child and the lack of witty banter. He’d cause an internal implosion himself if he were so unlucky.

But he’d have to wait several more months before he knew his fate. As if a decade wasn’t long enough.

Hopefully this one would be retrieved alive in the time allotted. He was risking the entire future of his existence by putting the delicate lives of his children into the hands of an oafish Ravager.

Ego was in no position to complain. He couldn’t be choosy when only one man, that he knew of, in the entire galaxy was willing to betray everything he knew for stone cold cash.

Yondu was his only chance. Ego dropped his face into his hands, nervously rubbing his thumbs across the tan skin his extension wore so well.

“Navy colored nuisance,” he muttered to himself, stalking back into his bedroom.

He wondered why he spoke at all. No one could hear him. Sometimes being an immortal celestial was trying. What was the point of existing if he could still feel lonely, like a disposable commoner?

The planet internally scolded himself. He was better than that.

Ego strode glumly to an intricately carved armoire, covered in reflective silver. He had found it decades ago, when he was more carefree and travelled nearly anywhere the galaxy had to offer.

This one had been claimed in the slums of Knowhere. He shuddered at the memories of the disease filled markets dotting the dank alleyways. The merchant had claimed it to be made of the repurposed corpses of massacred inhabitants of Planet X.

It was utterly grotesque. Ego had used his powers to set it in a thick platinum shell, to hide the knotted remains of an unlucky Florus Colossus.

The small doors of the cabinet creaked open.

Wispy rays of morning sun poured into the gnarled dresser, creating a rainthat lay rooted in the mottled, barky flesh inside of the large wardrobe.

Pangs of longing struck his heart as he gazed upon her smile, the small photograph tucked into the corner of the embedded mirror. Meredith’s hair even shimmered in a cheap photograph.

It had been his Riverlily’s insistence that he brought the snapshot with him upon his departure, so he’d never forget her. As if that were even possible.

He dreamt of her nearly every night. Dreaming he could almost feel her soft pearlescent skin that shined in the moonlight. The unnaturally springy golden curls, the dimples that appeared near the corners of her pink lips whenever she laughed.

He would never forget his Meredith.

Hell, he could even remember the night of that damned photo was taken.

They had been snuggled up in a lawn chair next to the patio table, watching the sun slowly drop behind the vast tree line.

Suddenly, Meredith thrust herself onto her feet, bolting into the house.

“Don’t move!” She had commanded before returning and gently sitting on his lap. Stretching forward, she sat a small contraption on the table.

“Smile,” Meri had instructed through the toothiest grin he had ever seen.

She had been so beautiful and pure that Ego couldn’t resist kissing her on the apple of her cheek. Right as his lips met her face, the camera snapped. A flash of blinding white light accompanied the startling sound.

Ego had blinked rapidly, his vision filled with a hundred blazing suns.

Meredith leaned forward, grabbing a small white square that popped out of the mouth of the camera, shaking it lazily in one hand.

After a second, his Meredith had looked upon the instant creation and burst out in laughter. Draping an arm around her, Ego pulled her back against his chest.

“What is it, Riverlily,” He grinned widely.

“Nothing.” She giggled, shaking her head. “It’s perfect.” Meredith held the photo out so he could inspect it. The film had depicted him kissing her, as his Riverlily contently smiled into the lens. Her eyes were lightly creased from the sudden flash.

It was perfect. And that wasn’t a word that Ego used lightly. This Terran woman was changing him, and it was unsettling.

Meredith swung her legs on either side of Ego’s lap, her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Everything is so beautiful and unreal when you’re here. I can’t imagine what life will be like without you.”

Her voice was thick, tears brimming on the edges of her deep emerald eyes. Ego could feel something crack deep inside of him.

“I’ll come back for you, Meredith Quill.” He held her face in his hands. He took a deep, steadying breath. There was no reason to start lying now. “You’re special.”

He had shared a strange connection with her since they met. His Riverlily _was_ unique. The celestial knew that she’d be important to the expansion. But _how_ was still unknown.

And he had many arrangements to make before he could bring her with him.

“Stay,” her voice was light as she placed his hand on her swollen stomach. “For the both of us.”

Ego silently wished that their unborn child possessed his genetics. For her sake.

Her eyes had stared deeply into his ancient soul. And though it was tempting, Ego felt himself growing weaker by the minute. He had to return to his planet to restore his power.

“I’ll return for you.” He promised.

And he’d meant it.

But it was through that strange connection he felt her strife. Meredith was losing faith in the man she had once loved so intensely. His attempts to reach out to her were fruitless and only added to her contempt.

She’d only be satisfied if he physically came back to Terra for her. If that’s what it took to please her, then he would return to “Earth”, as she lovingly referred to the primitive planet.

_A few months._

Maybe the Centaurian’s carefree ways and love of cheap prostitutes had been a blessing in disguise.

_I’ll have to thank that bastard when I see him again_.

If it weren’t for Yondu, Ego wouldn’t be able to begin cementing the important roots for his plans.

And his Riverlily was the key.

 

 

~~~~~

**Eclector**

Stakar Ogord stood on the grated platform overlooking the docking bay, his eyes glued on the steely jawed portal beside _Steel Bird_. Martinex impatiently leaned across the metal guard rail. His gaze drifted from his captain to the docking slot where Yondu’s ship belonged. The Pluvian sighed.

“You know you don’t have to wait for him like some hard-up slut looking for a sailor to come home on leave.” The silvery voice was laced with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “Knowing Yondu, he’d probably be agitated as hell to find you waiting for him, thinking you don’t trust him.”

Stakar murmured something unintelligible under his breath, clasping his calloused hands behind his back.

“Hell,” Martinex continued, straightening himself up. “Aleta doesn’t even wait here when she gets news of you sending a returning transmission.”

Martinex mirrored the rigid stance of his captain. The Pluvian leaned into Stakar, nudging the larger man with his shoulder. The Arcturan fought back a smile, pushing his friend’s glassy head playfully away.

“You should really try shutting your mouth once and a while.” Stakar gazed down upon the empty hangar. “Better for your health.”

“Oh yeah?” Martinex smirked, crossing his arms, “How’s that?”

“Sometimes, the more you speak,” Stakar looked down at Martinex from the corner of his dark eyes “Me and the rest of the team can’t help but think that you’d shatter like a chandelier if you took nasty dive. We’d miss you of course, but you’d make us a shit ton of units if we sold you for parts.”

“Morbid bastards.”

Stakar chuckled. He slowly began gliding down the stairs when the light above the empty portal began blinking yellow. Yondu’s ship was being pulled in by the artificial gravitational force the Eclector possessed.

“That wasn’t even the best part.” Stakar called over his shoulder.

“And that would be?”

“Mainframe did some research in the computer database.” Stakar’s voice carried as he furthered away from his first mate, “Apparently, there’s some Terran subculture referred to as _hippies_. Said they’d probably barter with us for some Pluvian crystal pendants strung up on some twine or something.”

“Mainframe wants to sell my crushed remains as jewelry? You sure Aleta didn’t come up with that one?” Martinex called down to his captain.

“Pisses her off when you “hand her off”. AI or not, she’s feisty.” Stakar shrugged, jumping down the last few metal rungs. Arcturan agility had its perks.

“Show off!”

Stakar turned on his heel, pointing to the Pluvian.

“Gather the recruits and give ‘em a debriefing. We’ll be up to the bridge soon.”

Martinex silently thudded his chest twice before turning and disappearing through the stairwell corridor.

Stakar casually strode down the bay as the light turned green. Yondu’s ship was slowly pulled in from the combustion chamber, ensuring nothing but oxygen leaked into the Eclector.

The Arcturan leaned against his own M-ship. Rarely was Stakar unabashedly giddy, but he was excited. And extremely proud of himself. He knew he’d out done himself this time.

Several long minutes passed before the ramp of the ship dramatically burst open, mechanics hissing.

Cocking an eyebrow, Stakar peered up the loading ramp after Yondu failed to appear. The Centaurian was nowhere to be found. Straining his ears, the Ravager captain struggled to hear an extremely light voice from inside the aircraft. He could barely make out Yondu’s drawl as he spoke in a hushed tone.

He seemed to be coaxing someone.

“C’mon, no reason to be scared. You’ll be fine!”

Rolling his eyes, Stakar called into the ship.

“What have I told you! You can’t just bring girls back whenever you want!” His gruff voice echoed.

And then silence, followed by the heavy thud of boots on the diamond plating of the floor.

“Stakar?” Yondu peered out from one side of the ramp, confusion etched across his blue mug. “What are ya doin’ down here?”

“Baking a fucking cake! What’s it look like I’m doing?”

“Well, I don’ see no cake. Gotta say, I’m mighty disappointed.” Yondu had a goofy grin plastered across his face.

“Get your blue ass down here! Got a surprise!” Stakar hooted. He searched several of his jacket pockets until he found a cigar. He swiftly lit it with a small obsidian lighter.

Yondu stood at the mouth of the ramp, tight knuckles resting on his hips.

“Miss my pretty face that much, ya went and got me a present?”, he shook his head, “Jus’ as well, gotta surprise for you too.”

“Bullshit!”

Yondu ducked his head back into the M-ship.

“Alright, Kraglin that’s yer cue!”

Yondu hustled down the rickety ramp, standing beside Stakar, waiting.

“What the hell’s a “Kraglin”? Stakar whispered.

Just then, a skinny and awkward boy began to walk sheepishly towards the pair. He wobbled down the slippery incline. He looked like this was the first step he ever took.

“That the hell is a Kraglin.” Yondu said. The boy nervously looked at the Centaurian, who nodded back in apparent encouragement.

Kraglin approached Stakar. He looked up at the man towering over him, mustering the bravest face he could.

“Reporting for duty as a Ravager, captain!” His small voice cracked. Shakily, Kraglin brought his small fist to his thin chest.

“At ease!” Stakar humored the kid, who instantly reverted to his shy disposition. He looked at Yondu, a grin playing on his lips.

“Where did you find him?”

“Found him orphaned when right before I left Xandar. Picked him, told me his mamma died. Thought he could use someone.”

Stakar clapped his apprentice on the back, pride swelling in his chest. No one had quite believed that he could make a decent man out of the Centaurian slave boy. Yet, here they were. They headed into the depths of the ship.

“Fall back, Kraglin.” Yondu ordered. The boy nodded, keeping a good ten feet behind the two men as they strode through the empty hangar.

The two Ravagers walked in a comfortable silence.

Once they were on the platform, Stakar tugged Yondu toward the service lift that shot straight to the bridge.

Yondu hesitated.

“Why you need me up on the bridge?”

“Got dome things we gotta discuss.”

He pulled the pulled the Centaurian into the elevator, who in turn, yanked Kraglin in with them. They were at the foot of the bridge in a matter of seconds.

“You ready for this?” Stakar quipped. His eyes sparkled. Yondu knew Stakar was up to something. And he wasn’t completely thrilled by the aspect.

“Doubt it.”

 Stakar punched a bright green button on the pad, the rusted door heavily sliding open.

Stakar exited first. When Yondu remained still, he the Centaurian’s wrist and pulled him onto the bridge, with Kraglin at his heels. The rest of their team stood there, along with a handful of men he didn’t recognize herded into the corner.

“The hell is going on?” The Centaurian was taken a back. Stakar draped an arm over Yondu’s shoulder, causing the younger man to flinch.

“We’ve all been talking lately. It isn’t often that we find a recruit of such dire circumstances that exceeds our expectations, let alone becomes a part of this little family we got going on. And I’ve been thinking--”

Aleta cleared her throat loudly.

“ _We’ve_ been thinking it’s about time…No, you really are…It’s been an honor…Shit.” Stakar shifted uncomfortably, looking to his wife for help. “I’m not good at this mushy shit. You tell him.”

Aleta rolled her eyes, looking up at Krugarr who stood next to her. The Lem’s eyes creased as he silently laughed.

She confidently strode to Yondu. Her hair was nicely coifed and pulled back into a low bun, and she smelled like exotic flowers. Though he would never say it out loud, lest Stakar slit his throat, Yondu always thought Aleta was a very handsome woman.

“Stakar, really has a way with words,” She adjusted the collar of Yondu’s leather jacket, before looking warmly at him, “What my husband was shittily at trying to tell you was, he has decided to gift you with your own clan to train in your likeness.” She nodded toward the group of men skulking on the far side of the ship’s command center. Half looked hopeful, the other half looked like someone had kicked them in the balls. That was common for newly recruited Ravagers. Especially with criminals whose other choices were bleak in comparison.

Aleta stepped back after a moment.

Yondu’s mouth dropped open. The rest of his team smiled upon him. His heart began to sink. He didn’t deserve their kindness. He didn’t deserve them in general. What two timing, sack of shit did?

“Well, whaddya say!” Mainframe chimed in from her perch on the captain’s chair, no longer able to contain her excitement.

“I-I…thank you.” Yondu finally said, hanging his head. “But I don’t deserve this.”

This was followed by a chorus of _Bullshits_ and _Of course you do_ ’s from his own clan, while several of the new recruits shifted uncomfortably, scratching at their uniforms.

“I don’t know a braver man than you, Yondu.” Stakar stood back, looking at his protégé. “Trust me, you deserve this, Captain Udonta.”

Yondu stood there, hot tears brimming in his ruby eyes. Damn Stakar Ogord for having any faith in him. Now he’d have an entire crew sneaking around to help with his bidding, securing him his badge of dishonor. He stood there for a long time, trying to find words or anything to say.

“Who’s the kid?” Martinex whispered loudly to Charlie, who promptly elbowed him the ribs.

Yondu chuckled at the exchange as the rest of the team rolled their eyes. He was grateful for the Pluvian’s question, distracting him from his thoughts. After a long while, Yondu looked at the man who was practically his father, telling him the biggest lie of his life.

“You won’t regret this.”  Was all he said, as he screamed internally.

  


 

~~~~~

 

**Missouri, December 31 st, 1980**

It hadn’t been difficult for Ego to dissolve back into his guise of _Eric_. Using his powers to bend and create mass, he had duplicated a sleek blue sports car he had once seen in an ad he saw when he began researching Terra.

Zooming through the country roads, the leafless trees blurred together with bright strings of candy colored lights. He had been more careful upon landing this time, using masking technology to better hide the ship a few miles from Meredith’s home. He hoped she still lived in the shabby ranch house.

Coming face to face with her father could end in a volatile interaction. Jack Quill was never fond of him when he began courting his daughter, and Meri was crazy about him then. He couldn’t imagine what her father would do if he saw him now, leaving his daughter pregnant and alone.

He parked his car in a thicket of trees near the little house, hoping to keep his visit unknown to both Jack and Keith.

Ego checked the time on the dash.

5:00.

It was already dusk. Tossing his sunglasses into the passenger seat, he ruffled his lush hair and hopped out of the car. He strode around the back of the house and up to the back porch. They never locked the door on the porch.

Producing a pack of red labels from his fur-lined jacket, he popped a cigarette in his mouth. He took the porch stairs two at a time, lighting the rolled tobacco as he went.

Hazy light from Meredith’s room seeped through the window. Glancing in stealthily, he saw her, beautiful as ever, even filtered by the gauzy drapes.

Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, as she leaned over a make-shift crib constructed at the foot of her bed, checking on their son no doubt. She swiftly sat back down in orange upholstered chair, sipping at a glass of water.

Ego doubled back, situating himself by the back door and knocked light enough so hopefully only she would hear.

Shadows and light danced from her bedroom window, followed by footsteps that grew closer. Dropping the cigarette to the ground, Ego stubbed it out, leaving a small hole in the AstroTurf flooring.

The porch light clicked on, followed by the heavy swoosh of the wooden door.

Meredith’s eyes were wide when she saw him. Her lips were a thin line, twitching angrily. Ego expected such a reaction and attempted to charm his way back into her good graces.

“I’m missed you, Riverlily,” Ego’s voice was deep and sultry as he leaned against the door frame. He expected that to work like it had before.

Instead, Meredith dropped her drink on the floor, freeing her hand as she clocked him in the jaw.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ego/Eric reveals the extent of his power to Meredith, who may possess some of her own.

Ego held onto his face until throbbing dulled. He glanced up at Meredith who was angrily heaving, rubbing her fist.

“You have some force behind that punch of yours, Riverlily.” Ego jested. Meri crossed her arms, silently daring him to say something else; give her the ammunition to throttle him to the ground.

“You’re lucky that’s all I did.” Her words were biting, her tone hostile. “You have a lot of goddamn nerve coming back here.”

“I told you I’d come back. Here I am, like you wanted.” He held his arms open, presenting himself as God’s gift to women. Too bad Meredith wasn’t the type to fawn over any man, even her long lost Starman.

“I wanted you back a _long_ time ago.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “You just left me here alone, pregnant with your child. And now you just show up out nowhere!”

“I thought that’d be a good thing.” Ego lowered his gaze, attempting to be genuinely hurt instead of irritated.

“How’d you even know I would be here?” She completely ignored his act.

“You live here.” Ego said as though was a galaxy wide fact.

“No, I don’t.” She chewed her lip. “I hauled Peter with me to Kansas City and set up camp.”

“What are you doing here then?”

 “Came home to visit daddy for the New Year. Y’know Dick Clark, watch the ball drop in Times Square?” Ego only cocked his head. Meredith sighed. “You wouldn’t know, would you?”

 “Riverlily, I’m sorry.” He firmly grabbed her by the shoulders, feeling her grow rigid at his touch. “Please, let me make it up to you.”

Those clear blue eyes of his were enough make Meredith’s breath catch in her throat.

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” She shook him off her, firmly placing her hands on her hips, “I don’t care if you are from outer space, that is no damn excuse.” Ego appreciated the spunk this woman harbored. Meredith Quill was as fiery as an Aaskavarian. Probably just as dangerous, too.

She chewed on her lip some more before asking him the nagging question she had hoped to avoid,

“You wanna meet him?”

The planet only bobbed his head, waves of hair bouncing.

 Meredith held a shaky hand out to him. He took her clammy palm, feeling her shudder at his touch. As much of a strong front she put on, Ego loved the control he had over her. More control than she would ever know he had.

She led him into the dim hallway, past the mess of broken glass at their feet, quickly pulling him into the first room they came to. She silently shut the door, hoping not to attract her father’s attention.

She bent into the playpen where their son happily gurgled. Meredith scooped him up and held him close.

“You ready to meet your daddy, Peter?” The pudgy baby babbled some nonsense, poking a finger into a loose weave of his mother’s baggy sweater. Ego was nervous. He never planned to meet any of his children in their infancy, lest he get attached.

Meredith carefully handed Peter to him.

“Eric, meet your son.” The boy beamed up at Ego. He could had taken them both away with him in that moment.

But that would ruin everything he was working towards.

Peter began to fuss almost immediately after Meredith placed the child in his arms. Ego awkwardly swayed side to side trying to comfort the boy.

Meri’s earthy eyes took notice of how he fretted.

_Your charms can’t help you now, Eric._ The woman shook her head at the thought. _Now, now, be civil_.

“Here,” she ushered him over to the orange suede chair, “He’s just fussy is all.” Kneeling beside them, Meredith rested hands on the armrest as her gaze fell on their son.

Ego would never admit it, but he felt a slight pang of jealousy. He remembered when she would look at him like that; like he was the most wonderful thing this galaxy could bless her with.

He supposed that all changed as soon as he left.

The celestial shifted Peter gently in his arms. His son searched his face with curious eyes. A small tuft of dirty blonde hair sprouted from his soft scalp. Ego grinned warmly as a chubby hand grabbed at his smooth face. He grimaced slightly as stubby fingers brushed across the welt forming on his jaw.

Why did his humanoid extension have pain receptors? Had he never given that any thought?

 Meredith noticed him wince, lightly placing a slender digit on his chin and turning him to face her. She wanted to inspect her handiwork.

“I’ll get you some ice if you’d like. To help the swelling.” As she stood to leave, Ego placed his free hand around her wrist.

“That won’t be necessary, Riverlily.”

“Meredith,” she corrected him curtly, withdrawing her arm from his grasp. Sitting at the foot of the bed across from him, she continued to look upon her son. Peter lay in the crook of Ego’s arm, curled against his chest.  Meredith smirked. It was nice that one of them was content.

“What do I need to do for you to forgive me?”

Meri stiffened at his words, anger rising her in throat like bile.

“You think it’s that easy, Eric?” She struggled to keep her voice down, “You can’t abandon us and just return on a whim and expect everything to go back to the way it was.”

“Peter needs his father.” Ego reasoned. Clearly that was the wrong thing to say as Meredith’s face flushed a deep red. The planet gulped.

“He’s got his _momma_.” She hissed, standing in an instant. “And I’m never, _ever_ gonna run out on him!” Meredith carefully snatched Peter away from Ego.

Ego stood as well, hovering behind Meredith. He unclasped her ponytail and ran his hands through a tangle of sunny waves. Snaking his arms around her waist, he tightly wound his arms under her own delicate limbs, in which their son was currently nestled.

“I had to go. But I have big plans for the three of us. Everything that my essence touches, will be _ours._ The thing is, you’re special Meredith Quill.”

“Special.” She snorted. “Are you ever gonna explain what you even mean by that?”

Ego sighed, laying his head on her wool sheathed shoulder.

“Soon, Meri I--”

Meredith pushed out of his grasp.

“Uh-uh,” she shook her head. “You’re not feeding me anymore bullshit, Eric. I either want the truth or I want you gone. For good.” She was unflinching.

“Maybe you should put Peter in his crib and we can have a discussion outside. Like adults.”

“Why outside?” Meredith strode to the make-shift crib and carefully tucked Peter in. She turned back to Ego. If he wouldn’t be honest with her, Meredith was gonna fish for the truth. “It’s much more cozy in here.”

“Will you keep your voice down, Meri.” Ego brought a finger delicately to her soft lips. “I just don’t want anyone to  know --”

The fiery young woman swatted his finger away, cutting him off again.

“You mean you don’t want daddy to come in here and whoop your inter-planetary ass?”

“Goddammit, Meredith! Will you let me finish one sentence?”

Her eyes widened, the green orbs dark with fury. She opened her mouth to say something as her door swiftly opened. Both had been so engulfed in the moment that neither had noticed the heavy footsteps stomping down the hall.

“Meri, what on _Earth_ is with all the ruckus…” Jack stopped suddenly as he opened the door completely, laying his eyes on Ego. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT, SONOFABITCH!”

The older man’s face contorted with rage as he lunged towards the man who made his daughter’s life hell.

“Keith!” Meredith screeched, as she snaked her way between her father and Eric. She tried desperately to hold her daddy back, but found her small body fumbling from the force of Jack’s solid form.

Meri attempted to push Ego to the far side of the small bedroom, as Jack’s chapped hands menacingly grabbed for the younger man from either side of her daughter.

Meredith turned into her father’s chest trying to push the large man out of the room. But her attempts were futile as she struggled to keep her footing.

“You think you can get my daughter in trouble, leave, and then just show back up with no consequences?!” Jack bellowed. Ego’s eyes darted across the room, looking for any means of escape.

Peter began to wail shrilly causing his mother’s head to sear with an oncoming migraine. Clasping a bony hand on her forehead, Meri’s free fist weakly pounded at Jacks’ flannel clad shoulder.

“Daddy, please!” She whined, then scowled at her own actions. She wasn’t a little girl anymore and sure as hell didn’t have to beg like one. “KEITH!” She howled again.

This seemed to surprise the two men as they slowed their actions. Meri’s scream was like nails on a chalkboard.

“Meri, just let me take care of this bastard for good.”

Ego’s cobalt eyes widened in a cartoonish manner. This is _exactly_ what he had wanted to avoid.

Light thuds vibrated through the wood floor as Keith skidded in front of the open door. Taking in the scene unfolding before him, the boy narrowed his eyes upon seeing his sister’s shit bag of an ex-boyfriend frantically trying to escaping their charging father.

“What’s dickhead doing here?”

Meredith’s attention snapped to her baby brother who stood in the doorway, arms crossed stubbornly.

“Keith, watch your language and take Pete to the kitchen. There’s a bottle of formula in the fridge for him and be careful as hell!”

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly when she shot him a warning glance. He slid into the stuffy room. The commotion temporarily ceased as Keith picked up Peter, cautious as to not accidentally harm the noisy infant.

The boy left the room, shushing the baby in his arms. He kicked the door shut behind him, leaving the three adults in momentary silence.

“You best have one hell of an explanation.” Jack sneered, slightly subdued.

“I had my reasons.” Ego sullenly added.

“That’s a great start, dumbass!” Jack’s voice was rising again, his weathered skin a slightly lighter shade of red than it had been.

The two hurled a string of insults at each other, while Meredith continued to rub circles into her throbbing temples. She couldn’t take one more second of this.

“Stop it!” Meredith cried again, shaking her white-knuckled fists in the air. “You both stop it this instant!” The two men stopped cold, turning their attention to the blonde woman.

“Daddy, I’d like to speak to you in the hall.” Jack looked down at his daughter, then back to Ego. He was about to protest when Meri tightly crossed her arms, “ _Now_.” She added. He nodded, turning on his heel and leaving the room.

“You stay here!” She commanded Ego, who obediently sat down in the plushy arm chair.

Meredith sauntered into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. She looked up at her father sadly.

“Why do you have to be like that?” Jack’s hazel eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re mad at _me_ , Meri?”

“I’m mad at the both of you.” Meredith heaved. “But you have got to watch that temper of yours, daddy! All this yelling has got my brain bouncing around in my skull.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I never meant to upset you.” Jack placed both large hands on his daughter’s skinny shoulders. He chuckled at the contrast. She was small, but boy could his little girl fuck someone up if she wanted to. He took pride in that. “How much that man hurt you. It wasn’t right.”

“Don’t I know it?” Meredith said. “I appreciate you lookin’ out for my well-being. But this is for me, and only me, to sort out.”

“But I--”

Meredith held a hand up to stop her father.

“I need to discuss things with Eric. And _I’m_ going to decide my future with him. Capiche?” She shook a finger at him for emphasis.

“Settle down, Don Corleone.” He humored her. “You’re really thinking of taking him back?”

“He is the father of my son. Doesn’t Peter deserve to know his daddy?”

Jack wanted to argue. Damn did he want to argue and shake some sense into her thick skull. He just pulled her close instead, hugging her tightly.

“You’re so much like your momma.”

He squeezed Meri once more before reluctantly letting her go.

“I can’t tell you what to do. But I can tell you that I will beat that boy’s ass if he leaves you crying for months again.”

“And I’d let you do it.” Meredith beamed tiredly up at her father.

“I’m gonna go check on Keith and Peter.”

“Okay.”

He had to trust his daughters’ instincts. She was a grown ass woman. But even a grown ass woman could use some help from time to time.

Pursing his lips, Jack ambled down to the kitchen to make sure there wasn’t a puddle of formula curdling on the linoleum.

Meri decided to take her time before returning to Eric, let him sweat it out. She walked into the bathroom parallel to her bedroom. She grabbed an old towel and wastebasket to tend to the broken glass she’d left by the back door.

Once she felt she could no longer delay her return, she lightly swung open the door to her room. Eric was pacing nervously. His eyes caught her gaze instantly as he advanced cautiously towards her.

“Meredith, look” he grabbed for her hands, but she sharply backed away from him, effectively cutting him off.

“Before I even consider giving you another chance, you’re gonna have to be completely honest with me.”

Ego mulled this over. He could be partially honest with her. But completely honest? Now that just wasn’t going to happen. There was no telling what she’d do if he told her about _all_ his other trysts. She always had thought she was the only one. That tickled him.

“It’s a long story.” His attempt to discourage her was useless.

“I’ve got time. Thank God I’ve got a lot of booze in this house too.”

“You planning on sharing?”

Meredith wryly grinned, motioning for him to follow her to the home’s piece de resistance: the liquor cabinet.

 

~~~~~

 

It hadn’t taken long for the two to wind up in the closed-in porch. Meredith had found a bottle of brandy she decided to smuggle with her.

“Like the song?” the celestial had childishly inquired about the name of the liqueur, earning him her first genuine smile of the night.

“Not quite.”

Meredith had brought several warm blankets and her radio with them. The metallic box shakily cranked out tunes in the background.

It had taken a long time for Ego to tell her everything, with a handful details omitted. Including his original plan to implant a cancerous tumor in her brain before he knew how much he needed her. It was how he disposed of the other women he had impregnated.

But none of that would bode well with Meri, though he knew she’d believe him. Hell, their first night together was spent on a _spaceship_ , and that hadn’t fazed her in the least.

Ego was distracted by thoughts of that night. On the carved out bed, the smooth floor, to the bed again. He grinned to himself. Meredith Quill was hot and feisty under that demure facade she wore so well.

Now Meredith sat on a heavy down duvet, cross legged and silent. Ego knew it was a lot of information digest in one sitting. A disembodied voice rang through the radio.

_Used to be my life was just emotions passing by. Feeling all the while and never really knowing why._

“Riverli…uh, Meredith, say something.” Ego encouraged. He need to know how she felt, never realizing she might reject the gift she possessed. If she did, he would have to eliminate her after all. Every cell in his body burned at the thought, but she was no use to him if she refused to adapt the power she bore to his will.

_Lately I’m-a praying, that you’ll be-a stayin beside me_.

“I don’t know what you expect me to _say_ , Eric.” Her deep green eyes were fixated on her palms. “You tell me I have some kind of gift, that you’ve been communicating with me through my dreams somehow, that you’re a _damned_ planet. That’s a lot to sink in.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?” She challenged. “Do you understand that everything you’re telling me is grade A looney-bin material? I have a son to raise, whether you’re here or not. I can’t be getting my ass hauled off to the nuthouse.”

“Then don’t tell anyone.” The reason sounded practical in his head.

“No shit.” Meredith took a swig of the amber liquid straight from the bottle, while Ego lit another cigarette. This seemed as perfect a night to indulge in their vices.

_Baby I’m-a want you. Baby I’m-a need you._

Several more songs followed before either spoke again., until Meredith who broke the silence.

“Why _me_?” her voice was small, a contradiction to the vibrant annoyance that she wore for most of the evening.

“Because,” Ego struggled to find the words, but he didn’t have an answer. He always figured that it had been fate that he found her to begin with. Their interaction hadn’t been planned as any Terran woman would have sufficed. “I love you, Meredith Quill. I want to build an empire with you.”

Meredith stared at him with searching eyes. His heart thudded.

“I wish I could take you and Peter back with me now. But if you’ll only have faith in me, know I’ll return for you.”

Emotion surged through her body when purple sparks began to jump from her finger tips, distracting her from her prepared argument.

_Just like my dream._ She thought dazedly. This couldn’t be real, it had to be a coma induced fever dream she was having. Because there was no way she could be lucid. Gritting her teeth, Meredith dug a fingernail deep into the soft skin of her wrist, prodding at the bone beneath. _Definitely awake._

She looked up to find Eric’s eyes wide with wonder. The acrid taste of booze lingered on her tongue.

“Show me what I can do.”

Eric nodded vigorously scrambling to his feet, pulling her with him. He dragged Meredith behind him. She clutched the radio in one hand as they ran through the backyard and into the woods.

 

~~~~~

 

The couple stood in the heart of the small forest. Something hopeful began to unfurl deep in Meredith’s belly. They were shrouded in the lightest of shadows the skeletal trees could provide. At their feet was a foreign plant. It looked almost to be made of copper wire, aqua tinted tulle, and other artificial materials. Its spherical center pulsated bright sapphire. It was hauntingly gorgeous.

“What are we looking at?”

“The future. Our future.” Eric cryptically whisper. He suddenly scooped her against his chest, kissing her feverishly. Meredith wanted to fight back, but found herself unable to stop. He was so mesmerizing, it couldn’t be real.

But God, he was talented with those lips; and that tongue. She could feel the heat rising to her neck, spreading across her cheeks.

Static laden music struggled through the radio that sat on a nearby tree stump. Thankfully, the nearest powerlines weren’t too far away; Meri needed a of connection to the rest of the world tonight.

The two finally parted, their breathing shallow and ragged.

“My beautiful Riverlily,” Ego carefully tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I could make love to you right here beneath these trees.”

_How romantic_. Her internal voice dripped with sardonic comebacks. But they were stuck in her throat as she became more flustered.

Meredith’s face was as red as the ripest tomato. He had a strong effect on every fiber of her being. And she hated it. This man left her pregnant with their unborn child. He could whisper sweet nothings all he wanted and it shouldn’t get him anywhere. That’s what was _supposed_ to happen.

Still, she felt herself reacting to his feather light caresses. Meredith smiled before shaking her head. Out of all the things he had said, the only suggestion that sounded mildly abhorrent was the thought of making whoopee on the cold leaves and dirt. They didn’t even have a blanket.

_Really? **That’s** the only problem you have with this scenario? _ Meredith scolded herself. She felt disgustingly primitive. She shouldn’t want this. Her mind was clouded with lust, like Eric had cast a spell on her.

Could aliens do that?

Could _planets_ do that?

Mulling over the dumb questions, Meri had nearly forgotten that she had been quiet for so long. The blonde cleared her throat, gently pushing Eric away.

“Are you going to show me what I can do with these purple flames I can shoot from my fingers or not?”

Ego chuckled. She was so obvious in trying to deflect him. No matter, she’d be his again soon. But for the mean time, he moved to stand behind her, positioning her small frame towards a wilting tree. He ran his hands down the length of arms, grasping her wrists and adjusting her aim.

“You see that sapling right there?”

“Uh-huh.” Meredith tried not to think about their close proximity, which was extremely difficult as Eric whispered hotly into her ear.

“I want you to think of an event in your life that drew a reaction from you. A strong reaction.”

Meredith chose to think of Peter’s birth, how happy it made her. She merely coaxed a few lavender embers from her digits before the magic died out. She huffed in frustration.

“Harder, Meri. You really have to focus.”

Closing her eyes tightly, she thought about that day in November again. How after a long and troublesome labor, the presence of her unexpected gift had become the light in her life. Though Eric’s departure left her bitter on wanting to experience love ever again, she had never treasured anyone as much as she did Peter.

Her little Star-Lord was her entire universe.

There was a deep friction culminating at the tips of her fingers as her palms began to itch. Opening her eyes, Meredith saw a stream of purple lighting pouring onto the lifeless shrub.

The tree began to shudder under her power, before slowly rising and unfolding branches of healthy budding leaves. Mouth agape, the woman stopped her ministrations suddenly. She clamped a hand over her lips while very nerve in her body jumped like a live wire.

She turned around to face Eric, jumping and clapping wildly. He smiled at her with sheer pride.

“I did it!” she screeched happily. “I don’t know _what_ I did, but I did it!”

“You can alter matter. Expand or destroy anything your heart desires.” He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the mass of flaxen waves. “We’re going to change the galaxy, make it our own.”

“How?” Meredith didn’t think about what he said. She hadn’t thought since she felt herself glowing from the inside out. Feeling was more important than thinking right now.

The radio echoed the opening fluty chords of Abba’s “Fernando”. Meredith beamed as Eric turned her back towards the same tree. It now stood healthy and alive between the throng of currently barren foliage.

Meredith thrust her arms front of her again. Ego stepped closely behind her once more, mirroring her position. His palms were level with hers, elbows stick straight.

“Do the same thing, Riverlily. Do the _exact_ same thing.” His voice was stern and commanding.

Meredith leaned back into him, screwing her face up in concentration. She poured out every emotion she carried in that moment. Eric’s musky scent tickled her nose while the pop song danced through her ears.

_There was something in the air that night. The stars were bright, Fernando_

Flames danced from her slender fingers once more, joined this time by a blue plasma that jolted from Ego’s own hands. The foreign masses entwined, creating a rush of power that became a cloud of pure light.

_They were shining there for you and me. For liberty, Fernando_

Meredith knew nothing about what she was creating. But she felt as though she had never experienced life before this moment.

Tracks of hot tears trailed down her soft cheeks. For once, she wasn’t crying in sadness. Instead, she wept in unbridled happiness that she had never felt. A sensation she would never feel again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu faces the inevitable.

**Eclector, Winter 1986**

Ogord’s team sat silently on the bridge. They had abruptly dismissed a small staff squad out and put the ship on idle while they discussed recent events regarding their one of their own.

They had argued about the consequences Yondu would be forced to coincide with and had made very little progress.

Stakar slouched in his captain’s chair, head lolling into his hand. The rest of them milled around the command center, making sure the portals were locked. The last thing they need were interruptions from the rest of the crew.

Aleta sidled up beside her husband, comforting him by lightly running her nails across his scalp. Normally Stakar wouldn’t allow his wife to show such affection unless they were alone; but now he craved compassion, and would take any he could get.

He was about to make the hardest decision of his life.

Give Yondu another chance to redeem himself, letting his former protégé have the upper hand and the opportunity to further destroy Stakar’s reputation among the lower tiers of his massive crew.

Or exile him from the Ravagers, for his crimes.

Obstruction of the Ravager code had ended in death many times in the past; but Stakar couldn’t kill the man he had freed. Yondu was like a son to him. He couldn’t sentence him to death, no matter what. Kin was kin.

The pregnant silence lingered. They all knew how this would ultimately culminate, but were trying to avoid the inevitable.

Stakar exhaled, rubbing his face. Arcturans had unusually long lifespans, that of centuries. But it took them a long time to show their age. Stakar was the exception today, his face haggard and the entirety of his body folding in exhaustion.

“Are we completely sure that the records transmitted from the tracker are correct, Martinex?”

The Pluvian nodded slowly.

“Yessir. We implanted the best one we had available on Yondu’s ship. He’s visited Ego’s planet at least a dozen times since the tech was installed. As well as a myriad of different planets beforehand.”

Stakar knew what that meant; Yondu was abducting the celestial’s kids and delivering them to that fucker. He grimaced.

“Do we know for a fact that Ego is harming the children?” Mainframe’s voice was unusually monotone. It was uncommon for AI to question their superior’s, but fallacies of logic had effectively bugged her system.

“He’s not a front runner for “Best Father in the Galaxy”, I can tell you that much.” He could feel his heart break, thinking of the Krylorian girl that had died in his arms many moons ago. That planet had to be one hell of a monster if he had killed any of those poor kids. “Ego wants to use the children as conduits for expanding himself. He never mentioned what would happen if they failed him, but I doubt he took them out for ice cream.”

He slammed his fist down hard on the armrest. They were all stock still.

“I think you’ve already made a decision, boss.” Charlie said dryly. All eyes were on the massive Jovian. This was the first time he had spoken during their meeting. Krugarr had made more of a contribution despite lacking a mouth.

Team Ogord regressed back to an uneasy silence. Aleta crept to the front of the captain’s chair, crouching slightly between Stakar’s legs, so they were eye level. She placed her hands softly on his knees.

“You know what has to be done,” She sighed shakily, “But I won’t be there when you do it.” Her lip trembled as she excused herself. Krugarr waved one hand, a gray and lifeless mandala appearing briefly before he slithered through the door, following the Arcturan woman.

Mainframe powered down her systems, going offline.

Stakar cleared his throat.

“You know where to find him?” He asked Martinex. The crystalline man took his time to answer, not wanting to seal his friend’s fate.

“I have a hunch.” And damn did he want to be wrong.

 

~~~~~

 

 

**Contraxia**

Yondu’s plans had been nixed.

While he had been able to spare a handful of children, their jackass daddy had caught onto him rather quickly.

The Centaurian had been able to claim several as dead, like he had with Kraglin, and drop them off with families of past clients that were willing to help. Others he claimed to be taken from him or simply missing, chauffeuring them to safety as well.

But Ego had become very furious very quickly, especially after the ones that had been delivered hadn’t lived up to whatever impossible expectations the celestial had set.

“You are essentially stealing my property, Yondu.” Ego told him on a transmission shortly after his discovery.

“Ain’t property to begin with. Those were youngins, plain and simple. Can’t just use em for yer bidding and get rid of em.” Yondu crossed his arms.

“Do you think I hurt them?”

“I ain’t stupid, numb nuts! I ain’t no genius, but I know I never see hide or hair of the ones I dropped at yer doorstep!”

“Maybe they just choose to hide from lousy space raider that kidnapped them. That ever occur to you?”

That shouldn’t have stung, but it sure as hell did. He bonded with some those kids and had to drag a few kicking and screaming from his ship, breaking his black heart in two.

“I should just haul your planetary ass over to the Nova Corps and let Valt lock yer ass up.”

“Don’t be idiotic. You have no proof and they’re not going to believe a lowlife Ravager. Besides, incarcerating a celestial in the likes of the Kyln would be asinine. I could destroy the establishment in seconds, unleashing dangerous criminals upon our entire galaxy.”

Yondu hadn’t considered that.

“Look, Udonta. You’re gonna stop interfering and playing “Good Samaritan” with my heirs. I’m paying you _and_ your damn crew a heaping pile of units for this. Bring me those damn kids or I’ll make you suffer.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“Did you suddenly forget that Stakar Ogord is the entire reason I even know you to begin with? It would only take me one transmission to tip him off to what you’ve been up to.”

“You’re bluffin.”

“Who’s to say. But if you enjoy your life the way it is, you’ll start bringing me my all of my cargo. So don’t ruin, Udonta. For your own sake.”

The entire exchange was burned into Yondu’s mind. Unfortunately, he revisited the memory constantly. Especially these days when he strained to think of a better plan to save those poor kids.

He didn’t know how Ego offed them, but he knew damn well those children were long gone. And now he was forced to sacrifice every single one of them.

_None of them were supposed to get hurt._ He felt defeated. If there was ever an awful living creature in the entire universe, he figured he was it. Ego was a close second.

Yondu tugged on his pants as the female robot powered herself down, hibernating in the corner of the dim room. The Centaurian tightened his lips, nodding in dark acceptance. Whatever pain he hadn’t been able to fuck away, he’d attempt to drown with that strong shit Contraxians served at every bar on this planet.

He gazed out the window of the room as he slowly redressed. Shrugging on his thermal tunic, followed by his duster. Yondu watched through the foggy glass as his about half of his crew consorted in the sleet, tangled in a large group. Several disappeared inside with synthetic women wrapped around their arms while the rest just shot the shit in the oncoming snowstorm, drinks in hand.

In five short years, his crew had grown tremendously. He had to have about thirty some men under his command at this point, and a few up and comers like Kraglin. Stakar had been so impressed with Yondu’s work as a captain, he had gifted his protégé again. This time with a ship similar to that of the Eclector.

The Eclector itself was becoming cramped with the entirety of Stakar’s crew mixed with his own growing crew that the Arcturan had bought an old junker of a ship and named it _Eclector II_.

Yondu had moved his men there immediately, grateful for the space to spread out. Though the separation felt like the final nail in his coffin. He rarely saw his teammates these days. As proud as he was to see improvement and success of his own crew, he missed the small group that he loved liked a family.

And then there was that awful nagging feeling that he’d never see them again. Centaurians were rarely wrong when it came to their instincts. It was part of their genetics, but dammit did he want to this one to be off the mark.

Yondu rolled his stiff shoulders before ducking out the door. He dodged a slew of half-naked men and women stumbling down the hallway and headed to the stairs. He took the steps two at a time before hanging a right into the bar of the Iron Lotus.

Out of all his crew, only two of them inhabited the bar. Tullk and Oblo sat at table nearest to the doorway, both drunk out of their brains with a woman perched on each of their laps.

“Captain!” Tullk summoned him with his gruff accent, a mug full of a foamy drink sloshed in his hand.

Yondu curtly refused his offer with a sharp shake of his head. He respected the shit out of his crew and enjoyed their company for the most part. There was one cocky bastard with the dumbest name he ever heard of that he didn’t much care for. But he liked Tullk and the Krylorian man.

Right now, his only plan was to knock back a double shot, and head back to his ship. He needed a clear, guilt free head. And if hard booze was the only way to achieve that, so be it.

“Two doubles, Z’erra.” He leaned over the bar, summoning the trusty barmaid he had become familiar with. A little too familiar in the past, after he became a regular.

“You sure about that, Udonta?” Her wavy hair was pulled into a messy bun. Those deep maroon locks she boasted complimented the pink half of her body while it clashed horribly with the periwinkle skin encasing her left side. Yondu found it oddly sexy.

_Been there, done that_. He reminded himself. Right now, Z’erra only served as a well needed distraction, and that was all.

“C’mon, honey,” He tried to charm her into just sliding the damn shots over. “Haven’t even had a drop of liquor tonight. How’s ‘bout a bicolored beauty such as yourself helps a fella out?” He winked.

“Really laying it on thick this, aren’t we?” Z’erra smirked. “You must be really hard up for this stuff if you’re schmoozing me so early.” She poured a bright green liquid into two crystal shot glasses, sliding them down the bar.

“How much?”

“On the house.” Z’erra flicked her hand band.

“And why’s that?”

“Think I owe you for last time.” She said under her breath. Yondu ignored her, knocking back the first. “You still got the scar?”

“It ain’t going anywhere. You bit pretty deep.” He cringed, remembering how bad the bite in his shoulder had stung.

“Good. I Like to leave a souvenir.” With that, Z’erra sashayed away to help a customer at the far side of the bar. Yondu couldn’t help but watch the mesmerizing sway of her hips.

“Tease,” he whispered before knocking back the second one.

The Centaurian stood hunched over the bar a long minute, letting the strong liqueur settle into his system. He headed towards the door, glancing back at his two shit faced crew members who were currently coercing their two equally shit faced lady friends.

The young captain shook his head and stepped out in the stormy night.

Contraxia was a snow based planet, so it was common for soft flakes to dot one’s clothing like big cottony stars set on a red leather sky. But tonight was different. Blistering winds swirled clouds of snow around Yondu’s feet, rising to pelt his face with ice.

He strained to see his crew through the dire weather. A now smaller group of them stood around a blazing fire pit, Kraglin included. The boy maybe sixteen, but he was still a kid in his captain’s scarlet eyes. A kid that Yondu couldn’t afford being sick in the med bay with some Xandarian flu. A captain needed his apprentice to be available at all times. How else would the boy learn?

“Obfonteri!” Yondu’s rasp barely carried through the icy wisps, but the kid still jumped. “Get your ass inside this instant!”

Kraglin hung his head and sulked toward the door, attempting his best mean mug while the rest of the crew snickered. There was no chance in hell the Centaurian was going to let that go by unnoticed.

“Y’ALL SACKS O’ SHIT BEST GET IN THERE TOO! I DON”T HAVE TIME TO DEFROST ALL OF YA’LLS ASSES!” The wind was becoming louder and louder, ringing in his blue ears. The crew mumbled in annoyance before filing into the brothel.

Yondu began to stumble through the snowy banks to where he had docked when a familiar collection of faces slowly appeared through the oncoming blizzard.

Stakar Ogord was approaching him, Charlie and Martinex flanking either side. The Arcturan’s face looked worn; his weathered skin displayed every scar and wrinkle he had artfully acquired over the years while his normally slicked back hair stuck up in unnatural directions.

The initial relief he felt from seeing his friends was quickly replaced with creeping dread scratching at every bone in his body.

_Stupid Centaurian intuition_.

Yondu already knew why they were here; he was trying to steel himself before the blow. If nothing else, he was grateful Ogord chose to confront him this late in such horrid weather conditions; at least his crew was inside and there were very few onlookers. He had done a lot to secure himself as “one tough sonofabitch” and didn’t need that title to shatter along with his soon to be splintered reputation.

He had let his guard down, lost in his thoughts, and hadn’t noticed Stakar’s closeness until an Arcturan’s fist met his nose.

Yondu fell back onto the packed ground with great force. Hot blood poured from his nostrils, staining his uniform and the white mass beneath him dark purple. His head rolled to the side before he let his body drop into the firm bank of snow.

Stakar was on him, pulling Yondu into a sitting position by his collar.

The Arcturan brought his weary face down to the battered one of his friend, a swatch of inky black hair sticking to his brow with condensation.

“Tell me it’s not true.” He said through gritted teeth, desperation tainting his words. This was no threat; it was a _plea_. Yondu only dropped his eyes from Stakar’s, like a guilty child, confirming his superior’s suspicions.

“YONDU,” The Arcturan used his imperative strength, pulling his former protégé up to his feet. The younger man stumbled. “TELL ME IT’S NOT TRUE!”

He held Yondu tightly by the lapel of his duster. The Centaurian met his gaze; his dark eyes were bloodshot and watery.

“You already know it is, Stakar.” Yondu’s voice trembled at the sight. There was no reason to deny it. Ogord growled, pushing him away with brute force.

“Ungrateful bastard!” He pointed a gloved finger accusingly. “I thought if there was anyone who wouldn’t consort with Ego’s child trafficking, it’d be the former child slave! I put so much time and effort into you, and this is how I’m repaid?”

“Ego’s a liar!” Yondu sputtered out the first thing that came to mind.

“And Thanos is a sadist! That’s not exactly new information you blue balled, two-timer.” Stakar hissed. Yondu glanced from Charlie to Martinex. Looks of shock and betrayal were etched across their faces. Yondu exhaled in defeat.

“How’d you know?”

“Put a tracker on your ship after you last visit to the Eclector. You’ve been acting weird as hell and we just couldn’t ignore it anymore.”

Damn it, he should have been more careful. There was no doubt that he his shifty behavior and contradicting stories gave him away. How could he have been so stupid?

“You know the rules.” Stakar’s lips twitched slightly, causing the man to swallow his breath sharply. Yondu dropped to his knees. He wasn’t a beggar, but he’d do anything to keep his family. He’d sell his tainted soul if he had to.

“Please.” His voice came in ragged chokes. “Don’t take my crew.”

“Keep em. You’re all traitors now, you can flock together. But you will never be a true Ravager again. You’ll be an exile for the rest of your life, and in death. You broke all of our hearts.” Stakar’s voice cracked slightly.

That wasn’t the crew he wanted to keep.

Ogord turned, striding into the night. Martinex followed sadly, while Charlie watched the broken man bury his bloody face in his large hands.

“Why?” The deep voice resonated through the spiraling wind. The Centaurian dropped his hands from his busted face, his scarlet eyes glowing in the dark.

“I wish I knew, Charlie. Damn do I wish I had a good reason.”

 

~~~~~

 

Eclector II was abuzz with rumors the weeks following their exile. Yondu had made himself scarce, trying to fruitlessly to call Stakar on the communicator. He had put Tullk in charge temporarily while he drifted through his miserable existence.

Several men had claimed he was going soft on them. He had quickly remedied that by sending a slew of them to the med bay; yaka inflicted wounds, concussions, flowering bruises over the expanse of someone’s back. Soon, he was feared again and no questioned his intentions vocally. Whatever he had to do to avoid a mutiny.

He missed his clan immensely, but his forced departure meant one thing: he no longer had to pledge his loyalty to a certain someone. A planned hatched in his brain; it was rash and dangerous, but he had nothing to lose.

The prospect of thieving from the celestial one last time revitalized him.

The Centaurian slipped into his quarters, shrugging off his jacket and chucking it into the far corner of the room. He grabbed the portable communicator device from his bedside table.

He punched in E-G-O and waited.

The planet’s extension was projected across the nearest wall.

“Udonta.” He was always brusque with Yondu. Ego had poured all his charisma on Stakar Ogord in a pointless attempt to butter the Arcturan up. Why waste that talent on the exile?

“You got more of ‘em?”

The celestial’s face slightly softened.

“The next one’s are the jackpot. Yours and mine.”

“The fuck do ya mean by that?”

“So _eloquent_.” He sneered, “There’s a double pick up on Terra. I can get there relatively quickly but I know such a trip would take any mortal with less developed means of travel between 8-12 months just to arrive. Factor in the time of you and your Ravagers _dicking_ around would probably take up to what, a year and a half maybe two years?”

“Somethin like that.” The fact that the celestial was far too weak to venture to Terra himself slightly cheered him up.

“Then you must find the correct place on Terra, which will take some time. So for all that trouble, I’ll offer you 5 million units. A head.”

Yondu mulled this over for a second.

“Consider it done.”

“Excellent! I’ll send you the information about their whereabouts and we’ll gone from there.”

With that, the screen went black. Yondu laughed wildly. He didn’t know what was so special bout Terrans that Ego needed two of them.

But he was going to make sure they never set one of their delicate Terra bred toes on the surface of one particular planet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu's exile takes a toll on Stakar's sanity.

**Eclector, Early Spring 1986**

The state of Stakar’s crew had been in shambles since Yondu’s exile. Tensions were at an all-time high as the clan that ordinarily ran like a well-oiled machine began to stutter and break, piece by piece.

The Arcturan captain had always been “rough around the edges”, but his guilt was projected in volatile outbursts that loved the company of innocent bystanders.

Everyone aboard the Elector initially took Stakar’s rage at face value. He had the right to be angry and hurt, like anyone would be if they were betrayed by one of their own. No one liked to be on the receiving end of his tantrums, but it was expected.

Though it hadn’t taken long for his erratic behavior to cross a line. It wasn’t uncommon for the captain to argue with his wife; sometimes they had dozens of quarrels in one day. But this one was particularly savage.

They had been in a busy corridor when it came to verbal blows. It wasn’t until after Aleta said something particularly brutal that Sakar made to slap her across the face. The audience they acquired gasped at their captain’s fury driven hostility. The entire scene was garishly melodramatic.

Aleta caught his wrist deftlt, her reflexes incredibly sharp. The woman examined the outstretched palm she clutched before looking back to her husband. She fearsomely narrowed her kohl lined eyes, jaw muscles twitching. Tightening her lithe fingers around the apex of where his arm and hand met, the man’s hand suddenly twisted into an unnatural angle

A loud crack accompanied the movement. Stakar’s wince and sudden yelp suggested ligaments were torn and bone possibly broken.

“Your next attempt to strike me will be your last, Stakar.” The deep timbre of her voiced strained against tightly clamped teeth. Thrusting his heavy arm away, Aleta shoved past him and barreled into the nearest stairwell.

Stakar hissed as he ran his calloused fingers across the limp wrist; he could feel the serrated bone threatening to puncture his skin. Cursing under his breath, the Ravager carefully gripped his defunct hand and stomped down to the med bay.

 

~~~~~

 

The next several weeks had seen the deterioration of the 99th faction. Most the crew had either joined existing factions or opted for an alternative lifestyle, rapidly emptying the Eclector of its inhabitants.

The prospect of losing the clan hadn’t really sunk in for Stakar until his own team began to fall apart more so than it already had.

Charlie 27 had been the first one to approach him. The Jovian had found Stakar holed up in the deserted mess hall, nursing a nearly empty bottle of some Terran alcohol labeled _Rum_. This had become the captain’s most recent hobby: drinking foreign liquor to avoid reality.

Silently sitting next to his captain, the wooden bench creaked under Charlie’s massive size. Stakar was slouched forward, drooping head cradled in a large hand. His eyes drifted lazily across the label of the bottle that he held in his other hand.

“You planning on drinking yourself to death by way of Terran spirits?” Charlie’s booming voice coaxed Stakar’s head up slightly. “Because that could take years, Captain.”

The two men shared a serious glance that ended in a roar of laughter

“Pretty weak shit, aint’t it?” The Arcturan absent mindedly rolled the bottle away. He shifted impatiently, growing agitated with the silence that had settled like dust. He knew what this was about. Why prolong it?

“C’mon Charlie,” he jested, “Orloni got your tongue?”

“With the infestation here, it’s possible.” Charlie’s baritone was complimented by his deep chuckle.

“How long you gonna beat around the bush, 27?” Stakar pursed his lips, waiting.

“My initial plan was forever,” Charlie nervously ran his palm across his bare scalp. “Then I realized I’m a grown ass man and I best make hard decisions like one.”

Stakar said nothing, his eyes looking through his friend rather than at him.

“Things are falling apart, whether you choose to see it or not.”

The captain dropped his gaze to the scarred tabletop, idly picking at a loose sliver. Of course he knew the ship dynamic had changed. He was hopelessly waiting for the chaos to blow over, for everything to slowly revert to normal.

“I will depart in three days to leave for Fennek Wulf’s faction. The Spartoi’s clan has been very successful despite it’s size. I think it’d be a safe investment.”

The Jovian waited for Starhawk’s reply while the disheveled man continued to stare aimlessly ahead.

When he realized he wouldn’t get an answer, Charlie stood and saluted. It wasn’t until he was halfway to the door that Stakar spoke.

“I expected this from the rest of them. But you?” His gravelly voice was laced with remnants of liquor. “I never pegged you as a coward.”

Charlie 27 knew Stakar well enough to know his game: instigation in the hopes of confrontation. Under normal circumstances the Jovian wouldn’t have entertained the notion; but normal didn’t exist anymore.

“Careful, Ogord.” Charlie warned, turning his muscled neck to glance over his shoulder. Damn did he want this to be the end of it, though that would be too easy.

Huffing in response, Stakar slammed his knuckle hard onto the hard slab of wood. The table now boasted a jagged crack that ended in a splintered crater. Why temperamental beings possessed super strength, Charlie would never understand.

That Terran booze was apparently strong enough to cloud Arcturan judgement when consumed in large quantities. Stakar charged him, ramming his fingers into the Jovian’s solid chest.

“You’re just like everyone else Charlie! Leave when the going gets tough, running away with your tail between your legs like a little bitc--”

Charlie abruptly cut Stakar off, pulling him up to eye level by his collar. The Arcturan pried at the Jovian’s iron clad grip, but his attempts were futile.

“You can call it _running off_ if you must, but don’t fool yourself. We’re not the same and we’re all gonna be a little empty til the day we die.”

Stakar clamped his eyes shut, skin crinkling. He knew the decision he made was right, they all agreed on it. So why the hell was everything still falling apart?

“Hey Cap, I was thinkin--” The metallic scrape of Martinex’s voice stopped as suddenly as it began. He stood in the nearest doorway, taking in the image of Charlie dangling a defeated Starhawk off the ground.

Charlie gently placed Stakar back on the ground, who then cleared his throat and straightened his uniform.

“Martinex,” The giant nodded at the Pluvian as he trudged out the door.

“You here to resign too?” Stakar slurred after a beat.

“Is that what this is all about?” Stakar stared at his first mate darkly, desperation painted across his rugged features. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t”

“Who said you can’t?”

“No one.” Martinex shrugged. “You’re just the only person I know who’s a bigger asshole than I am. You make me look good; especially in recent weeks.”

There was a pensive silence.

“Wanna get shit faced on some  Earther booze?”

“Is that even possible for anyone besides Earthers?”

“It takes ‘bout six full bottles to kick in. But yeah, it’s possible.”

“The shit’s already hit the fan, so what’ve we got to lose?”

“That’s the spirit. Misery loves some damn company.”

 

~~~~~

 

Aleta was present at the departure of her friends. She had childishly pressed her face up against the glass of the airlock in the hangar as Charlie’s M-ship dropped into orbit. Krugarr had decided to join his Jovian friend’s transition to Wulf’s clan in the eleventh hour.

Though Aleta’s heart ached watching either go, the Lem’s exit was probably for the best; he had barely used his Eldritch abilities since Yondu’s departure. She figured the depressing atmosphere was hindering his magic.

His red fingers danced as a slew of images pulsated against the ship’s thick windows. Aleta couldn’t make out the projections from the distance through two thick window panes, but she placed her hand on the glass of the portal door as a solemn goodbye.

Aleta took in the rows of empty spaces in the docking bay. The Eclector was clearing out faster than any of them had imagined. And loneliness was creeping from within. Steeling herself, she returned to the cavernous depths of the ship. She needed her wits about her before she faced anyone, especially Stakar.

Their relationship had become considerably strained after his attempt to hit her. They were almost always silent when they saw each other in passing, sometimes even when they were alone in their private quarters.

Up until then, they had pawed at each other like ravenous animals; now their bed was only for sleeping. It seemed that the aspects of everyone’s lives were all changing for the worse.

The woman had spent the remainder of her day helping in the engine room as best she could before heading to the armory to clean blasters and knives. Everyone was pulling their weight since the crew was less than half and shrinking still.

 It took a lot to keep a ship as big as the Eclector a float. But it’d take a goddamn miracle to convince her husband to down size to more appropriately sized transportation.

Aleta stealthily made it back to her quarters, wanting to avoid any and all contact with another living soul. Sliding into her quarters as the portal opened, Aleta was surprised to find Stakar hunched over the metal desk that sat on the far side of the room.

“You’re here early.” She observed, stripping out of her uniform in favor of something more comfortable. “Normally don’t see you here until after dinner.”

“Sorry to inconvenience you.” Stakar grumbled, adjusting the lamp over a thick stack of papers in front of him.

“What’s that?” Aleta shimmied into a loose tunic as she nosily peaked over his shoulder. Quickly shoving the papers away, Stakar turned towards his wife in a blink. He was on his feet in an instant, towering over her in an attempt to be intimidating.

Unfortunately, he had married an Arcturan just as tenacious and hot-headed as himself. Aleta balled her hands into tight fists, propping them on her hips. She was prepared to pounce and only waited for him to give her a reason.

“None of your business!” His voice boomed, “For fucks sake, why is every person up my ass these days?!”

“Because our clan is falling to shit!” She matched his volume.

“I’m _handling_ it. And since when has this been ‘our’ clan?”

“Unions tend to bind the lives of those involved.”  

“Marriage don’t mean shit” Stakar regretted the words as soon as he said them. Aleta flew into a blind rage. Utilizing her strength, she easily pushed Stakar to the side. The captain tumbled onto the bed in a frenzy.

She rummaged through the pages that lay in a neat stack: agreements with the Nova Corps, transaction receipts, multiple warrants for their arrest; souvenirs really. Straightening the pages once more. She tore the file in half, dramatically tossing them as they haphazardly danced through the air.

“Now these don’t mean shit either!” Aleta hovered over Stakar. He leaned back into the mattress, desperate to escape her. Unfortunately, she was inescapable if you were on the receiving side of her anger.

“Do you want me to leave too?” She hissed through clenched teeth.

Stakar’s eyes flashed dangerously as he pushed Aleta off him. She stumbled backwards. They both waited for the other to make a move. When neither did, their rage simmered. Aleta dropped down on the edge of the bed next to her husband.

“You told me I made the right decision. I had your blessing.” Stakar sat upright, wagging a finger at her. She slapped his hand away from her face.

“You didn’t have my _blessing_. For fuck’s sake, it wasn’t a happy occasion.” Stakar opened his mouth before clamping it shut.  “You’re blaming yourself, and it’s changing you.”

Stakar fell back onto the bed into defeat, pulling Aleta with him. They stared at the ceiling as if it all the answers they needed were scrawled across the expanse.

“None of this was supposed to happen. I’m a good captain and I did everything I could to make his life better. I housed him, fed him, set an example.”

Aleta snorted.

“What’s so damn funny?”

“ _Set an Example_? Ravaging isn’t exactly a noble profession. We’re thieving assholes that upset the balance of the galaxy.”

“You know what I mean.” He muttered.

“I do. I also know that this isn’t going to fix anything. It’s gonna ruin you and the rest of us.” Shifting to her side, Aleta slithered up to Stakar , gently stroking his face. His heavy eyelids drifted shut. His fragility shone bright during quiet moments like this.

“I wish I could fix it, Aleta. I fucked it all up.” Aleta sighed. She respected her husband’s moral code even if it was restrictive.

Sighing, Aleta knew what she had to do.

It would be dangerous and could cost her own reputation and she couldn’t act under Stakar’s nose. No, she’d have to depart and search the galaxy for that Centaurian and the damn truth. If repairing the mistakes of both Stakar and Yondu was possible, she could do it.

 “You’d be surprised how much one person can mend in a lifetime.” She ghosted a trail of kisses across his tan face and neck, earning her a groan in response. He suddenly flipped her onto her back, devouring her lips. Aleta briefly pulled away.

“I can’t stay.” She said as though it were a known fact.

“I know.” His eyes burned into her own. “Just let me have tonight. We’ll talk in the morning.” He murmured in between sloppy kisses. He hoped she’d forget her intent to leave come tomorrow, knowing that her memory never faded.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meredith and Peter come face to face with some troublesome aliens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of the preexisting chapters that was edited down. Chapters 15 and 16 will contain new content.

**Rural Missouri, September 1988**

Meredith stood at the edge of the garden her father kept. The man always had a gray thumb and couldn’t keep a single plant alive to save his own life. But Meri had taken advantage of her little secret.

Surveying the sprouts and stalks, she noticed a wilting tomato plant near the back. Carefully making her way to the dying bud, she held the malnourished fruit in her hand. She traced her finger down the length of the vine. Purple sparks surged life into the limp tendrils and ripened the tomato she held.

Meri beamed at her handiwork. She had been able to keep their crops alive longer than anyone else’s in the small burg. Town gossip floated from housewife to housewife. Each had their own ludicrous theory of how Jack Quill’s daughter kept their plants on the vine or in the soil so long without wilt occurring.

Her favorite rumor was witchcraft because it was closest to the truth.

She had a lot of free time since she had moved back in with her father. She babysat a gaggle of neighborhood toddlers several days a week which she enjoyed immensely. Maybe the budgetary cutbacks at the Kansas City courthouse had been a blessing in disguise.

Of course, it took some time to adjust to her old surroundings. Especially with her son in tow. Meri eased back into her childhood bedroom that had remained the same since she last left it. Jack’s suggestion for Peter to bunk with Keith had ended in a screaming match, so the Quill patriarch and his only daughter cleaned out the cluttered spare room.

The room was severely down trodden from lack of attention and smelled of mothballs. After a proper cleaning of the musty room, Jack had taken Peter to the hardware shop downtown. The burly man led his grandson down the paint aisle.

“Now Peter, your mama thought the best way to make that room yours is if you pick out the color we paint it. So, pick out a few colors you like!” Jack patted the boy encouragingly on the back.

Wide eyed and bushy tailed, Peter left with fistfuls of paint chips. Meredith had sat with him on the threadbare rug of his new room, sorting through the matte color samples.

“You got an awful lot of blues and purples here, Pete.” His mother chirped as she compared two different chips.

“They remind me of the sky at night,” he shrugged, “Mom, are you good at painting?”

“Give me a roller and we’ll be just fine, honey.” Her face was bright as her green eyes sparkled. Peter shook his head.

“No. Paint like an artist.” He began to imitate brush strokes, his small hand swishing through the air.

“Well, I’m no Michelangelo. But as long as you don’t want me to paint no Sistine Chapel, we’ll be just fine.”

“I know you’re not a Ninja Turtle, mom.” Peter rolled his own green eyes, prompting his mother to grin and tousle his curly hair. “Can you paint some of those planets and constarllations you’re always telling me about?”

“Constellations, hon.” She sweetly corrected him, “And I don’t know how great it’ll look, but I’ll try.”

“It won’t matter how it looks because _you_ did it.”

Meredith didn’t know what to say as her heart swelled. She cleared the lump creeping up her throat.

The boy insisted they paint it different shades of blue and dot the ceiling with white “stars”. Meredith thought her free hand was a bit off, but Peter insisted that he loved it.

Meri couldn’t help but grin at the memory as she shuffled through the garden under the hot sun. Autumn was a mere two weeks away, but the dead heat made the Missouri town as hot as the Sahara.

She continued walking the through the rows, ripening any less than vital plants and weakening persistent weeds until the results were satisfactory. The sudden sound of the school bus rolling up made Meredith jump causing the purple bolts to slice through a fresh strawberry bushel.

“Dammit,” she mumbled, wiping dirt caked gloves onto her cutoffs. The howl of laughter cut through the air as Peter sulked up the driveway. A group of older boys in the back of the bus shouted after her dejected son as he sprinted inside the house.

“Peter, honey?” Meredith followed suit, peeling the rubbery material from her hands. Meri scrambled after him through the house. Jack was at a plumbing job and Keith was probably getting stoned in a friend’s basement. It was just the two of them.

Pulling her sweat drenched curls out of a hair tie, Meredith shook her bushy hair out like a dog. She nearly tripped over Peter’s discarded school bag in the process. Hopping onto one foot, she cartoonishly clutched the other. It probably would have been a comical sight if there were any onlookers.

“What do you keep in your book bag, rocks?” Her shrill twang rang after him. Hustling down the hallway, Meredith wiggled the doorknob of her son’s room. She tugged wildly at the brassy knob, pushing her foot against the door for leverage. It wouldn’t budge.

“Peter Eric Quill, we do not lock doors in this house!”

“Keith locks his all the time.”

“Yeah, well Keith’s a little shit.” She huffed. “And he’s your grandpa’s problem, not mine!” She expected a bigger argument from Peter; it wasn’t like him to back down immediately. He was fiery like his mother and passionate like his father.

“Peter?” She beckoned.

Light footsteps padded across the floor, followed by the sound of the lock shifting. Waiting a second before entering, Meredith cracked open the door and slid into the room. Peter sat on his bed, hugging his knees. A bunch of untouched Batman comic books lay spread across his small bed. He kept his head down avoiding his mother’s concerned gaze.

“Peter, look at me.” Instead, the boy only shook his head and covered his face completely. Meredith edged closer, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed. Carefully, she moved his small hands away from his face, and delicately tilted his jaw up using one finger.

A dark bruise was blooming on his freckled cheek beneath his left eye. Meredith sighed. This had become too regular of an occurrence, especially for such a young boy. She silently left his room, returning with ice wrapped in a dishtowel. She pressed the cloth against Peter’s face. He squirmed at the cool sensation.

“Hold it here to help with the swelling.” Peter nodded, his hand replacing his mother’s. “What was it this time?”

He shrugged, keeping his eyes down. He hated it when his mother was angry, especially when it was with him.

“ _Peter_.” She warned.

“The older boys on the bus were making fun of me again.” He blurted out. “Damn fourth graders.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Sorry.” He grumbled.

“What were they bothering you about, hon?”

“They were saying that me and you must be a real piece of work to chase dad away. And that grandpa’s an idiot for letting us live here. So I slugged one of em.”

Meredith felt sick.

She knew she had never been popular in town but she never expected the adults to be so petty as to talk shit in front of their children. She was no angel herself, though she never bitched about the awful assholes that lived here in front of Peter. He could formulate his own opinions when he was old enough. Why sour him on the world so soon?

Usually Peter got into fights because somebody was being cruel to wildlife or another kid. She always punished him, even if she did agree with his actions. She was still his mother. But this struck a chord because she would’ve done the same thing if she were in that position as a child.

“Did ya get any good punches?” Peter’s eyes widened. She never encouraged this kind of behavior, and for good reason. “Well, did ya?”

“Yeah, got him in the nose. Couple years older than me too.” Peter said proudly. “Bus driver said if it happens one more time, he’ll make us both walk.”

“Don’t think I’m telling you to get in more fights. But it’s good to stick up for yourself and your kin. Try to use your words next time.” She ruffled his dark blonde curls.

“Where’d that come from?” Meredith nodded towards a magazine fold-out poster tacked above his bed. It was the blonde from _T.J. Hooker_ , massive hair stiff with gallons of Aquanet and scantily clad in a string bikini.

“Keith gave it to me.” He tensed. “He said you wouldn’t care.”

“Sounds like something he would do.” Meredith laughed, shaking her head as she hoisted herself to her feet. Peter relaxed after he realized his mother wasn’t going to confiscate Heather Locklear.

“Get that swelling down. I’m gonna whip up some Manwiches for dinner and maybe we can go to Blockbuster later and pick up a movie to watch? If that sounds good to you?” Meredith folded her arms, holding back a smile as Peter’s face brightened.

“Can we get _Poltergeist_?”

“Whatever you want.”

The young boy stared at the doorway long after his mother disappeared. Sometimes he really wished his father’s existence was more than a stack of Polaroids and blurry memories. But that feeling subsided when he was with his mom. Every kid he knew always said _their_ mom was the best; but his really was.

She’d do anything for him.

Peter slid onto the floor, digging through a box of mix tapes he kept under his bed. Between his mom and his Uncle Keith, he had more than enough variety when it came to music. Sifting through the pile, he found a cassette labeled “To Pete, Love Mom.”

He grabbed his Walkman from the nightstand and popped the tape in. He sat cross legged on his bedroom floor, listening to the static pop in his ears. Bass began to thrum accompanied by the soft tap of percussion.

_Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing. But then I know it’s growing strong._

Peter listened to Neil Diamond’s smooth voice, wishing he could sing like that. It was one of his mom’s favorite songs and they sang it when it was on the radio.

“Sweet Caroline! Bum, bum, bum!” He belted out. “Good times never seemed so good!”

He sang loud enough that his mother could hear him in the kitchen. Probably loud enough for the entire universe to hear. Peter closed his eyes, shaking his fists in time with the song. The boy had no idea his balled-up hands had begun to emit a blue glow.

 

 

~~~~~

 

The Jiffy Pop kernels were beginning to pelt against the foil dome when Meredith heard the slam of car doors followed by a barrage of voices. Her father and Keith were arguing about something very loudly. It was still early too. Meri was extremely happy that their nearest neighbors lived a mile away and Peter was in the living room, distracted by his Nintendo.

“If you tell someone to pick you up at your buddy’s house at certain time, it’s expected that you be there!” Jack yelled after Keith, who was already halfway through the kitchen.

“When you gonna let me cut your hair?” Meri called after him. He was beginning to look like a blonde Joey Ramone.

Keith flipped her off as he stormed down the hallway. A door slammed seconds later.

“I’m not done with you yet!”

“He’s already in his room, daddy.” Meredith shook the tin across the red burner. The aluminum bubble grew rapidly. Meri grinned. Jiffy Pop always made her think of a silly spaceship. Not Eric’s of course.

Omelets reminded her of his ship since that one looked like an opalescent egg.

Jack burst through the side door, face red as the ripest tomato. He threw his keys down on the kitchen table, dropping into his chair. He opened the still warm Tupperware container in front of him, pleased to find sloppy joes.

Meredith tossed him the bag of hamburger buns without a second thought. Setting the popcorn on the counter to cool, Meri strode to the table. She slipped into her seat, handing her father a plate.

“What’d he do now?”

“Told me to pick him up at his buddy Paul’s house at five. I get there and Paul’s mother tells me Keith never showed. I’m about to have a damn heart attack searchin this entire town for him. Finally found his car on the edge of the woods by the river. Him and his girlfriend were necking on the banks there, high as two kites.”

Meredith smirked.

“Boy’s on house arrest for the weekend. You get to be the prison guard tonight.”

“What? Why me?”

“Gloria and I are heading up to the city to get dinner at one of those fancy restaurants her sister told us about.”

“Any of those places let you wear flannel?” Jack stuck his tongue out before scarfing down his sandwich. He got up and kissed the top of Meredith’s blonde head.

“Pickin’ up the little woman up in an hour so I gotta get ready. Can I count on you to keep the house peaceful and standing?”

“When couldn’t you?”

They shared a smile as Jack disappeared through the doorway.

 

~~~~~

 

Meredith and Peter sat outside after the movie ended. The boy was shaken and promptly declared his fear of clowns. And closets. His mother smiled and suggested some fresh air. The evenings were still warm enough to sit out and look at stars. Keith stayed in his room the entire night, brooding as The Clash blared from his bedroom window.

The two sat at the patio table where Meredith had perched her trusty radio. Peter messed around with the knob for a while before settling on The Rolling Stones. He turned up the volume, attempting to drown out his uncle’s thumping punk music.

Leaning back in the rickety chair, Meredith craned her neck up to take in the starry sky, thinking about Eric. The last time she saw him was several years ago. He wanted to stay, but insisted he would grow weaker if he did. He promised he would bring them back with him once Peter was older but wouldn’t say when.

When Meredith protested, he gifted her with a hand-held communicator. It was too small to project holograms or even videos; it was text operated. She always initiated their conversations which remained short and detached. But whenever she would inquire about his arrival, the word SOON would blink across the miniscule screen.

All she really wanted was Peter to have a father figure in his life. And apparently, that was too much to ask.

“Mom?” Peter’s sweet voice firmly pulled Meri back to reality.

“Hmm?”

“Why do you love the stars so much?”

“Oh, I don’t know baby,” It was a bold faced lie but Peter would never believe her if she told him. “Don’t you ever think it’d be exciting to live up there and explore the entire galaxy?”

“It sounds fun. What do you think it’s like up there?”

Meredith scrunched up her face in concentration. For Peter, this was all hypothetical. But she really wanted to give him a proper idea about what was waiting for them. She desperately sought to remember all the details Eric had shared with her over the years.

“I bet there’s some planets a lot like Earth, but technology is more advanced. So you could have a day trip to another planet. Like maybe go skiing on a snow planet, then get back on your ship and go home before your world’s sun starts to set.”

Peter looked at her with genuine wonder. It was refreshing to have another human treat her musings with such dignity and respect; most of them humored her or did everything but laugh in her face. People could be so closed minded.

“Do you think I could make friends out there? Someone who wants to be around me?”

Meri’s heart sank. Her own loneliness and self-doubt was rubbing off on Peter. She craved companionship and understanding more than anything. And now apparently her son did too.

“I’m sure, honey. Someone for the both of us.” Meredith’s voice quivered, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sometimes the weight of their struggle collapsed on her, leaving the blonde breathless and desperate.

Maybe convincing herself that another world existed out there for her was the only way she could cope with her mediocrity. Hell, she couldn’t even keep a man on this planet.

“It’s okay, mom.” Peter leaned over to his mother, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Meredith smiled warmly, rubbing circles across his back.

Peter receded back to his own chair. They watched the star’s twinkle, chatting about different constellations or humming along with an ELO song.

It wasn’t until they were preparing to turn in for the night when all hell broke loose. The woods behind their house was apparently a hotspot for supernatural occurrences. The dark night was replaced by a light brighter than the sun for several seconds.

Then the ground began to rumble. Peter clung to his mother in fear. It felt like the Earth was going to split in half. The disruption culminated in a crash so strong, the vibrations knocked them off their feet.

Now the only noises they heard was the brassy whir of the radio and the crunch of branches and debris from the small forest. Meredith gulped, jumping at the loud _creak_ of the screen door as it rattled on its rusty hinges.

“The hell was that?” Keith whispered, just as terrified as his sister and nephew.

“There’s someone out there. I want you to grab daddy’s shot gun for me.” Meredith commanded without moving.

“But Meri--”

“For reinforcements if I need it. I’m not going out there unarmed.”

“You shouldn’t be going out there at all.”

“Someone has to investigate.”

“Then call the cops, Nancy Drew. You don’t know how to shoot.”

“We don’t have time to wait for the police. And I can shoot!” Meredith paused. “My aim isn’t great is all.”

“That’s fucking reassuring.”

“Just do it, dammit!”

Keith grumbled something before disappearing in the house. Meredith stroked Peter’s hair, attempting to soothe him. It was pointless as her hand shook like a leaf. She could hear voices getting closer; more than one.

Meri jumped again at the sound of the door.

“Here.” Keith carefully handed his sister Jack’s old hunting rifle. “Loaded and ready.”

“Thanks,” Meredith held the rifle in position, testing her stance. “Go on inside and call the cops now. And take Peter with you.”

Keith nodded grabbing Peter’s shoulder. The kid swatted his uncle’s hand away.

“Ow. What the hell, Pete?” Keith hissed.

“I’m going with my mom.”

“The hell you are!” Meredith roared in a hushed tone. “It’s not safe for you out there.”

“It’s not safe for you either!”

“He’s gotta point there, Meri.” They both shot him contemptable faces, red and scrunched up. He laughed quietly. “Just like his mama.”

“Go in and call the police for cripes sake.” Meredith demanded. Keith nodded and scrambled into the house. She crouched down to Peter’s level. “Go with Uncle Keith. Whoever’s out there could be dangerous.”

“No,” Peter pouted.

“Peter Eric Quill.”

“No! I already don’t have a dad. What if I don’t have a mom either?”

“Keep your voice down,” she attempted to shush him. “We’ll discuss this later.”

Peter’s nostrils flared. Then he was running, straight for the woods.

“Peter!” Meredith cried desperately, charging after him. She ran for what felt like miles. Wheezing and coughing, she found him at the edge of the tree line, frozen with fear. Three figures talked amongst themselves as they stepped across the woody threshold.

“Shit!” One exclaimed. His cracking voice suggested him to be about Keith’s age. “There’s a couple of ‘em out there, Cap’n!”

“Relax, Kraglin.” Another voice rang out, this one similar to a Scottish vernacular. “We’ll shoot ‘em down before they can run for help.” Meredith tensed, readying her rifle.

“Stay behind me, Peter.” She whispered.

“We ain’t shootin’ anybody yet! That’s prolly our mark right there!” Another voice. This one was particularly harsh and strongly southern.

Meri gulped and fired without thinking. Chunks of tree bark flew in all directions. She could see a flashlight now as they exited the forest, standing in the shadows.

“Holy hell, lady!” The third voice said. “Tryin’ to maim us or somethin’?” They edged closer, slightly illuminated by their lights. Meri blinked. Two looked like ordinary men, but the third one was blue. She blinked again to be sure.

“That was a warning shot.”

“Sure it was, sweetheart. And I meant to upturn all those goddamn trees when I landed.” The man chuckled darkly.

“Who the hell are you?” She pointed the barrel directly at his face.

“Yer boyfriend sent us.”

“Eric sent you?” Her voice was hopeful.

“Is that what’s he’s callin ‘imself these days? Well you must be really hard up if yer that excited to see that bastard.” The other men sniggered.

“I’ll shoot!” The blonde warned. Peter’s fingers dug into her side as he clung to her hip. There was a rustling of leather followed by a dim red glow and a shrill whistle. A sharp object pressed firmly against her forehead.

“No ya won’t. Put the gun down, sweetheart.”

Meredith complied, tossing the weapon to the ground. The man edged closer to the mother and son. He shone a bright light directly in her eyes.

“You look exactly like yer picture.” The blue man said, letting his eyes drift down the length of her.  His face was scarred and he boasted a ghastly set of teeth. He was hideous enough to make Meri’s skin crawl.

“That’s funny. You look exactly like my nightmares personified.” She quipped, earning an amused smirk. “Where’s Eric?”

“He ain’t here, honey. Lazy bastard don’t do much of his own bidding these days.”

“Are you gonna take me to him?”

“Not exactly.”

“The fuck does that mean?” Peter squirmed. His mother only saved that word for dire situations. He kept his eyes down.

“You gotta a real mouth doncha, princess?”

“That’s not all I got on me.” Meredith curled her fingers at her sides.

“Oh, I can only imagine, honey.” He salaciously mused, causing Meri to cringe at the thought. “Now, if you’re good, I can just let you and your boy walk right onto the ship.”

“And if I’m not?” The sharp arrow edged into her skin, drawing a droplet of blood. A blue hand swiped in front of her face, removing the weapon. He ran his thumb across the metal tip before sliding it into a holster. His men held their strange guns at the ready.

“Then I guess we’ll knock ya out cold and drag ya back.” He stood uncomfortably close to her. Meredith smiled sweetly.

“Then I guess I’ll have to take my chances.” Meri took advantage of their close proximity, kneeing the blue bastard in the groin. He stumbled backwards in surprise and pain.

“Peter, run!” She shrieked.

“But mom, what about--”

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, baby! Just go!” Peter began sprinting back to the house. Meredith lunged to the ground, grabbing for the rifle.

“Kraglin! Get the boy!” The man yelled, his prepubescent lackey charging after her son. “Tullk! Zap the broad!” The man with dreadlocks nodded. Just as Meri grasped the cool metal weapon in her hand, her body was on fire. Electric volts charged through her small frame, leaving her a convulsing mess.

“Peter,” was the last word she managed to rasp out before the world faded around her.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleta and Mainframe help find a way to destroy. Meredith is more of a handful than Yondu expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of the preexisting chapters that was edited down. Chapters 15 and 16 will contain new content.

Aleta was hunched over in front of a large monitor in the Eclector II’s control center. She and Mainframe had been holed up in the room for hours. They continued to go over the numbers for what felt like hours, frustrating the Arcturan.

“So with the combined team of mine and Yondu’s factions, the percentage of Ego’s defeat is at a solid 22%?”

“Approximately, yes.”

“We’ve been simulating scenarios for hours and that’s the highest we can get?”

“It’s still higher than the probability of survival!”

“Oh, well in _that_ case!” Aleta indignantly threw her arms in the air. The warrior was silently weighing the options when the door scraped open.

She stiffened when a blue hand came to rest on her shoulder as Yondu leaned in to look at the stats Mainframe displayed. He pulled back after a moment, free hand scratching at his stubble.

“Odds can be beat, Aleta.”

“Anyone tell you about personal space, Udonta?” Her eyes narrowed at the heavy fingers that lingered on her.

“Ya and Stakar were never sticklers fer manners.” He backed away, biting at his thumbnail as he continued to scan the screen. “What’s the biggest wrench in yer plan, Mainframe?”

“Well,” The AI presented another slew of charts across the screen. “Even with the high numbers of men you can provide and the skilled women of Aleta’s faction, we’re still limited by our mortality.”  

There was a long silence. An agitated sigh emanated from the helmet propped near the modem.

“Ego’s a celestial. Having another being who possesses similar powers to subdue him would increase our chances significantly.”

“How do we do that?” Yondu furrowed his brow.

“To destroy Ego we have to destroy his core. Getting to the center of a planet takes time; distractions of drastic measures will be optimum for our survival.”

There was a pause as a pair of onyx and scarlet eyes burned into the iron headpiece.

“ _Your_ survival. Sorry!” Mainframe corrected herself after a beat. “It’s easy to forget that I’m not physically present on missions.”

“Ain’t a mission.” Yondu folded his brawny arms tightly across his chest. “An’ if yer suggestin’ I send the kid to his daddy to meet a certain doom, well you got another thing comin’, circuit board.”

“For fuck’s sake, Udonta!” Aleta piped up, jumping to her feet. “Mainframe and I are risking our hides by assisting you in the first place! If you want to redeem yourself, don’t bite the hand that feeds!”

Yondu glared down at Aleta. He’d never admit it, but he was impressed; the heaving, five-foot Arcturan was decidedly frightening when she needed to be.

Scoffing, the Centuarian shifted beneath his former teammate’s penetrating gaze.

“Sorry to lash out at ya, Mainframe. We’d be getting nowhere without ya and that sweet lil voice of yers.”

Aleta rolled her eyes at his cloyingness; they all knew his ploys were just to annoy her rather than to compliment the AI.

“Tensions are high, Yondu. I’m not offended.” Mainframe’s steady voice rang, “I am curious as to why you’re so worried about this boy’s well-being.”

“She makes a point. What’s special about the Terran?”

“Got me. Ego’s gone to a lot of trouble for this kid. There’s somethin’ bout the boy and his momma that gave jackass a big ol’ twinkle in his eye.” The thought made him shiver in disgust.

“So?” Aleta returned sat back down, propping her feet on the desk.

“That sick fuck has somethin’ planned for those Terrans’. Weird enough he wanted the momma to begin with.”

“That’s a new development?”

“Normally he offs the moms. That’s what he did to Kraglin’s momma. Busted him up pretty bad. Good thing emotional stability ain’t required to be a decent Ravager.”

“Kraglin’s one of Ego’s?” Aleta asked incredulously.

Yondu nodded stiffly, nervously poking his tongue against his cheek.

“Does he have any idea?”

“There’s no reason to upset him. He’s a damn good kid and he’s becoming a damn good first mate. Don’t need none of this family drama to fuck him up.”

There was a heavy pause.

“Does Kraglin carry any celestial powers?” Mainframe inquired.

“Not as far as I know.”

The three went silent again. Mainframe sifted through the computer’s hard drive, pulling up the chart showing their bleak odds. A stream of numbers and algorithms slipped across the bottom of the screen as the likelihood of their success began to rise.

“So if my calculations are correct.” Mainframe’s silvery voice leaked the speakers. “The use of one possible celestial increases the probability from 22% to 71%. That’s with the boy inserted into the equation. He’s still young and inexperienced, if he does in fact possess celestial powers, and that lowers the success rate slightly. Now if we have two against one, Ego’s defeat is a given.”

“Two?” Yondu rasped.

“You said he killed all of the mothers before you abducted their children. He must have spared this one for a reason. It’d be wise to learn more about them before we make any battle plans or drop off arrangements. Do you know their names?”

“Ego told me; the boy’s name is Peter and his momma is Meredith. Think I’m sayin’ that right.”

“Peter and Meredith.” Aleta repeated the names. “Mundane, but easy enough to remember.” She slid onto her feet once again, heading to the door. The Centaurian quickly slid an arm around the woman’s waist and spun her around.

“Slow down, spunky. I went through hell to get them here; I’ll do the interrogatin’.” Gingerly retrieving Mainframe’s avatar, Yondu handed it to the captain. “Ya better get back to yer ship and check on yer girls.”

“You just don’t want us getting caught and exiled on your conscience.” Aleta narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t flatter yourself; I don’t have the accommodations for a bunch o’ moody women is all.”

“You are so much like him.” Aleta snorted, thinking of Stakar. If Arcturans didn’t find the dissolvement of marriage disgraceful, they would have divorced long ago. “Since we’re on the subject, he hocked the Eclector awhile back. No reason to tack on the _two_ anymore.”

Yondu pursed his lips.

“Mainframe, send a transmission to Freesha and have her meet us in the hangar for crossover.” Aleta commanded.

“Yes, captain.”

“At ease.” She joked, the portal sliding open as she approached it. She glanced over her shoulder. “Yondu?”

“Hmm?”

“Manhandle me again and I’ll slice your hand off at the wrist.” She grinned, before slinking out into the dank corridor. The Centaurian laughed darkly to himself.

“Crazy bitch.” He mused before leaving after her, in search of Ego’s forgotten son.

 

~~~~~

 

Between the low vibration emanating through the cool floor and Peter’s incessant poking, Meredith jolted awake. Jerking up, she breathed the stale air in hard gulps. Her muscles ached and her head throbbed wildly.

“Mom?” Peter beckoned worriedly.

Blinking hard, Meredith took in her surroundings. The previous night had been such blur she figured she dreamt it all.

She was positive the blue skinned man had been a figment of her imagination, same with the taser that was bigger than an AK. But the pain that continued to thrum deep in her bones suggested the electric jolts jumping down her spine hadn’t been a hallucination.

She scanned the dull surroundings when her green eyes met a matching pair. Peter sat on his knees next to his mother, his face slightly scratched and muddy.

“C’mere, baby.” Meri pulled Peter into her lap, using all of her remaining energy to squeeze him tight. Leaning back she check her son for more scratches or worse injuries. She licked her thumb and began scrubbing at the dirt dried on Peter’s face. “What they do to you?”

“Tripped and fell when I was running away.” He wrinkled his nose as his mother scrubbed at his dirty face. “You know how your legs’ feel all prickly like a cactus after you sit on them for a while?”

“Uh-huh.”

“My whole body felt like that.”

“Then what?”

“I passed out I guess” Peter chewed his lip for a second. “Does your neck hurt, mom? Like right behind your ear?” He rubbed a circle in agitation behind his right ear.

“Baby, there ain’t a part of me that doesn’t hurt.” She said jokingly, trying to distract him. But he continued to fuss with his ear. Meri pulled herself to her knees.

She drew her son towards her so she could investigate. Carefully turning his chin to the side, Meredith saw it. His earlobe effectively concealed an irritated red mound of skin, accentuated by the pin-sized hole of a puncture mark.

Panic was beginning to overwhelm the slight woman; sliding one slender hand carefully behind her own ear made her stomach drop. Pushing down on the swollen skin, Meri could feel _something_.

Was it only a bug bite? Or had their abductors implanted trackers? Meredith didn’t know, but her mind was racing. She did all she could to keep her composure for Peter’s sake.

Jumping to her feet, the blonde woman looked for an escape. The room was obviously a storage room that was being used to imprison them. It was musty and cold with remnants of junk messily pushed to the walls.

There was a stream of light pouring into the dimly lit area from somewhere else; most of the florescent bulbs lined on the ceiling had blown out. There was also the line of metal slats curving from the walls into the ceiling.

Their options were slim: follow the stream of light to God-knows-where or somehow force the shutters open and hope the ground was close below.

Breathing deep, Meredith shakily marched to the far end of the room, following the light. All she found was a locked metal gate that led to a deserted corridor. It looked industrial; rusted metal, grated floors, caged hanging lights.

_Maybe we’re being held in a factory or a warehouse._

Meri went back to the rest of the room to find Peter standing amidst the junk. His shoulders were held back and his chin was high; she knew he was terrified, but he kept a brave façade. She approached him, crouching down and grasping his shoulders.

“I don’t wanna scare you, baby. But we can’t get out that way.” His lip quivered slightly. Looking up at the curved slats, she began to formulate a plan. “I have an idea, though.”

“What?” Peter asked hopefully. Disheartened or not, he fully believed his mother could free them. Meredith could do no wrong in his eyes.

The two began to push a rusted metal desk against the wall. They stayed quiet, fearing someone would catch them. Meredith found a flattened metal rod among the debris. The metal shutters appeared to be rusty and could be pried off with some elbow grease.

Peter sat on the edge of the shoddy desk, keeping it weighted while his mother climbed a atop. She was still too short to see anything.

“Grab that thing, Pete.” Meri pointed at a scarred wooden crate among the discards. Peter nodded, retrieving it and setting it beside his mother’s feet. Carefully, she mounted the wooden box.

She could glimpse out of the bottom shutter if she stood on her toes. It was nighttime and the stars were brighter than she had ever seen. It was unnerving.

Forcing the slat slightly open with the makeshift crowbar only made matters worse, revealing how dire their situation was.

“Dear God in heaven above.” She whispered.

“What’s wrong mom? Is it higher than we thought?”

Land was nowhere to be found as the starry void spread across all angles, threatening to swallow them whole.

“ _Much_ higher.”

 

~~~~~

 

**Missouri**

The sun sank lower in the sky, becoming a saturated bruised blue as night rolled in. Crickets chirped, basking in the summer breeze that lingered.

Jack Quill sat at the table, face solemn and stony as he stared out the window. He had dragged the phone from the side table in the living room and plugged it into a jack he’d found in the kitchen. Its taut cord threatened to pull it onto the floor.

Keith sat beside him silently as Gloria scurried around the kitchen, baking potato casserole. She had a sweet face with graying auburn hair that framed it nicely. Jack was grateful for her comforting antics.

Jack eyed the phone like it was his last chance. The cops had said they’d ring if they ran across Meri and Pete, but they still had to follow protocol and couldn’t file a missing person’s report until tomorrow morning.

Jack hadn’t paid much attention to all the details Sheriff Miller had rattled off. His mind had been racing since he came home late last night to find several squad cars in the drive and Keith in hysterics.

The two remaining Quills’ had struggled to find words all day. They wanted to talk, but everything seemed trivial in the current turn of events.

The phone began to ring, shaking in its mustard yellow cradle. Three sets of eyes flicked to the plastic receiver. Keith stared at his father anxiously, while Gloria rested a frail hand on his sturdy shoulder.

Jack gulped hard before picking up the phone.

“Hello?” He internally scolded himself for his desperation soaked voice.

It didn’t take him long to realize the caller was the last person he wanted to speak to. Instead of Miller, Jack was greeted with the shrill voice of Keith’s airhead girlfriend.

Jack narrowed his eyes, shoving the receiver at his son.

“Laura wants to see how you’re holding up.” He grumbled.

“That’s sweet of her.” Gloria added in attempt to lighten the mood. Jack twisted to glare over his shoulder. She shrunk immediately, trailing over to the oven to check the roast.

“Make it quick, Keith.”

“Okay,” The teen squeaked out, grabbing the phone from his father.

Scooting the chair out, Jack scrambled through the kitchen. He opened drawer after drawer, until he found what he wanted.

Unopened Pall Malls.

It had been the last pack he bought a few years ago, right before his heart attack scare. After his stent surgery, Quill had given up the habit. He kept the pack as a symbol, never having the urge to rip the fucker open and smoke one after the other.

Until tonight.

Snatching the box and a pack of matches, Jack charged through the side door and sat on the concrete steps.

He ripped the plastic off, smacking the carton in his palm for good measure. When he finally extracted a cigarette, Jack enjoyed each drag. They were stale, but he felt like a thirsty man who had found water in the desert.

Keith’s voice carried through the screen door for a few minutes, followed by the clack of the receiver being replaced in the cradle. The sticky sound of Gloria’s Keds on the floor came closer.

“Mind if I join you?” She whispered through the door.

Jack nodded his head in silence. He scooched closer to the railing, patting the empty space beside him. Gloria brushed the spot clean before sitting daintily.

“We’ll find them.” She said after a moment, clasping a hand around his. Jack stubbed out his first cigarette, running his fingers through his hair. “I know we will.”

“How can you be so hopeful?” That had come out harsher than he intended, causing Gloria jump.

“I just always have been.” Jack rolled his eyes. Sighing, she retracted her hand from his. “Sometimes the only thing you can do is hope and pray.”

“How’s that supposed to help me?” Jack sucked at a new cigarette in aggravation. He wanted to be left alone, but Gloria just wanted to help. “I mean it’s only been a day. Police still have to file a report and arrange a search party.”

Jack was partially trying to convince himself that there was still hope.

 But the whole situation was strange. They hadn’t run off; Meri’s car and purse were still here. And Keith swore the intruders didn’t come in a car.

Then there was that business with the woods being destroyed and a blinding light that a few neighbors saw. What’s to say that was related?

Jack flicked the cigarette away in frustration, cradling his weathered face in his hands. Tears were threatening to escape.

Gloria rested a powdery cheek against his flannel clad arm. Jack pulled his hands away from his face, sobbing freely. He pulled Gloria into a desperate embrace, afraid she might be gone next. Or Keith. Shuddering at the thought, he stared at the starry sky over her shoulder. The moon was bright and the stars danced.

He always said Meri was a gift from the stars.

_Maybe they took her back._

Jack dismissed the thought as fleeting and juvenile, unaware of the answers the night sky held for him.

 

~~~~~

 

Kraglin was in a corridor near the bridge when Yondu found him. The kid had caught a few stragglers in between shifts, telling them about their trip to Terra. Embellishing the details wildly.

“Then the kid fell face forward, like a sack o’ yarrow root.” He followed Brahl and Taserface at the heels.

“I’d assume so, Terrans’ are weak as shit.” The Archenonian scoffed, garnering a deep chortle from that hulking fuck face.

“Kinda shock even you could manage that, Krags.” Taserface added, causing Kraglin to fall back in defeat. Yondu felt his blood boil.

“Y’know, those Terrans can be wily lil bastards.” The Centaurian said loudly, making his prescence known. He stuffed his fists into his duster pockets, waiting for a smartass remark from either of them.

“Course, Cap’n” Brahl muttered, not meeting his gaze. Yondu smirked. He was happy his reputation as a hard-ass among his crew was upheld.

“Or maybe you just like makin’ excuses for the kid.” Taserface said, attempting to instigate him. Yondu managed to keep his snarl to himself, but his red eyes glowered. No one questioned his decisions.

He was past those days.

“Could be,” He strode closer, keeping his distance. The two men were both reactionary and instinctive; Yondu had shit to take care of didn’t have the time to get into a scuffle. “that I jus like to keep an eye on my first mate. Didn’t exactly see ya rarin to go after those lil Earthers.”

“Didn’t get much of an invite, did I?” Taserface growled, closing the gap between them. The larger man bared his teeth, while the Centaurian displayed his own gnarly grill with a shit eating grin.

“No, don’t spose ya did, Laser Lips.” Yondu procured his yaka from its leather holster and proceeded to run his thumb over the point.

“It’s Taserface,” he sneered, eyes dropping to the arrow his captain fiddled with. It was cheap power plays that kept the crew in line. They all saw what the weapon was capable of and didn’t want to be on the receiving end.

“What’s one dumbass name from another?” Yondu added smugly. “Now, Kraglin and I have some business to take care of. Ya boys best be off and doin yer jobs. We clear?”

Brahl nodded, pulling an unmoving Taserface after him. After the two disappeared, Yondu turned and playfully nudged his shoulder. The kid looked at him funny.

“What was all that about Cap’n?” His voice cracked. The boy was nearly an adult, but his voice still had its prepubescent remnants.

“Savin’ you some face.” Yondu chuckled. Kraglin wasn’t used to this. His captain kept a distance, often curt and brash. But it was nice to see him laugh and lighten up a bit. “They could tell ya were feeding them a line of bull. Terran kid bout kicked yer ass.”

“Kid’s got a helluva punch. Prolly left some bruises.” Kraglin, cringed remembering the hard smacks to his arms and the kick to his gut. “Likes to make a damn spectacle, jus like his daddy.”

 _At least yer not like him, Krags. Be thankful for that._ Damn did he want to say it. But Kraglin was one of the few living beings that respected him. Hell, the kid even looked up to him. Who knew how he’d react to the revelation. The Xandarian was awfully sensitive.

Kraglin to struggled to match his superior’s wide gait, pushing his legs farther out in front of him to keep up.

“Where we headed Cap’n?”

“Take a wild guess?”

~~~~~

 

Meredith sat against the wall, holding Peter close. She ran her fingers through his curls as she stared at the patched metal wall across from her. She didn’t have the heart to tell Peter where they were; she didn’t quite believe it herself.

Seeing the endless black canvas sprawl before her was surreal. She bit her tongue and pinched her arm a few times to ensure she wasn’t dreaming.

The blonde Missourian was wide awake. Peter had fallen asleep in her arms. Maybe she’d have this all figured out by the time her boy woke and he wouldn’t have to worry. But Meri somehow doubted that’d be the case.

Time had passed, though she had no idea how exactly how much. She heard footsteps from adjoining corridors or the rattle of a utility staircase, but no one directly passed the locked gates of their current hovel.

They were undisturbed.

Meredith rubbed her swollen neck. The skin was still irritated, but whatever was injected hadn’t had any negative effects thus far. She glanced down at Peter. His head rested in her lap as he stretched out beside her.

Sleep was very appealing. Meredith’s body was still sore from whatever happened earlier. Her eyelids and limbs were as heavy as cement. Stifling a yawn as not to wake Peter or attract unwanted attention, Meri let her head fall back and eyes shut.

_Thud. Thud._

_Thud._

_Bang._

_Thud. Thud._

So much for that idea.

Meredith was completely awake in seconds as the sound of intrusive footsteps stopped in front of her. She was met with the leather clad legs of two figures that her eyes trailed up to find connected to two of her abductors.

She gulped. In decent lighting, the one man was indeed blue. Not just a tint either.

“Rise and shine, honey buns!” He nudged her outstretched leg with a steel toed combat boot. Peter began to shift awake from the commotion.

“Why should I do anything you tell me, Papa Smurf?” Meredith groaned tiredly.

“The hell is a _Smurf_?” Yondu offered a hand to the woman. Meri ignored him, gently rousing Peter and hoisting them both up.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Hey!” Sleep had subsided from the young Quill and was replaced by anger when he spotted Kraglin. “He’s the one that zapped me!” Peter attempted to charge the string bean of a man, while his mother held onto to the back of his shirt.

Kraglin hid behind his captain, poking his head over Yondu’s shoulder.

“I was doin’ you a favor, kid! You wasn’t safe on Terra and I had to get you on that ship somehow.” Yondu stiffened, pushing Kraglin’s face away with an open palm. His plan was to get the Terran’s to safety and destroy Ego once and for all. The less they knew, the better.

“Terra? You mean _Earth?_ ”

“Yep. That’s what we call yer little blue marble of a planet.”

“You’re aliens?” Peter piped up, wide eyed.

“Guess you could say that.”

“Cool!” Peter’s anger transitioned to unabashed excitement.

“Hon, remembered what happened to Ripley and her crew,” Meredith attempted to sway her son, but he ignored her. “Now I don’t know who the hell you are or what you think you’re protectin us from, but you sure as hell better take us home. And take out whatever you injected into us!” She pointed at her swollen neck.

“That’s just a translation implant. Most people know common tongue, but the galaxy is damn big and some don’t. As for the takin’ ya home: ain’t happenin’.”

Meredith crossed her arms as she looked up at the man.

“That wasn’t a request; me and my baby are going home.” Meredith glanced out the corner of her eye to see the gate to the room were still open wide.

“Like I said, it’s not safe fer the two of ya there.” Yondu turned towards the exit. “Now, we can get you set up in an empty cabin or…. SHIT!”

Meredith had lunged in seconds and jumped onto Yondu’s back like a rabid animal. She wrapped her arms around his neck in attempt to choke him. The Centaurian growled and shook her like a rag doll, but she kept herself stuck to him like a parasite.

“PETER, RUN!”

The boy gulped at his mother’s attempt to subdue the blue man. He dodged the uproar and charged for the open door. The air was suddenly knocked out of him as he was pulled backward by the back of his shirt.

“Got you this time!” Kraglin captured the boy and held his arms down. Peter tried to flail but gave up after his attempts were easily quelled.

“Peter,” Meri whispered. Yondu took her distraction to his advantage and thrust her off his back. Meredith’s body burned as she shifted to get up. She opened her eyes to be met with a furious pair of red ones and a foreign gun in her face.

“Listen, Meredith.” Her eyes widened in fear and confusion.

“How do you --”

“Know yer name?” Yondu finished for her. “Buddies with yer boyfriend, remember? I’m tryin to help ya and yer makin my job difficult. You seem to be quite the trouble maker. I can either make things real easy for ya and yer boy.” He returned his blaster to the holster beneath the yaka and leaned over her frail figure. He grabbed a fistful of fabric from her blouse and jerked her upright. “Or I can make this real difficult until I figure out where I’m takin’ ya. Do I make myself clear?”

Meri nodded. He was horrifying up close and it took every muscle in her body not to cringe.

“Are you takin’ us to Eric?” With that, he dropped her unceremoniously back to the ground.

“Don’t tempt me.” He muttered, pulling Kraglin away from Peter and towards the door.

“Wait!” Meredith propped herself up on boney elbow. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Yondu.” He leered.

“Yondu.” She repeated. “Dumb name.”

“Like Meredith’s any better? It sounds like a name ya’d give a gold dusted pet some Sovereign would keep on a leash.” The woman opened her mouth, but Yondu was quick to interrupt her. “As soon as you the two of ya calm down, I’ll have ya moved to a room.”

With that, Yondu turned on his heel and strode out of the makeshift brig. Locking the door behind him, the Ravager captain sent his first mate off to the control room.

“I’ll be there in a second.” Kraglin knit his brows together but knew better than to question his superior. He simply nodded and continued towards the stairs.

The Centuarian stood there for against the wall, listening to the Terrans.

There were some quick words followed by incessant crying. Yondu figured Meredith had explained the situation to Peter. He doubted the kid had any idea what was happening. The woman attempted to shush her son but it was no use.

Yondu could feel his heart drop. This was all his fault. He breathed deeply, about to stalk off when the singing started.

“ _Makin your way in the world today takes everything you got._ ” Meredith began to croon.

Yondu didn’t know the song, but she sang it well.

“ _Takin a break from all your worry’s sure would help a lot.”_

The boy’s whimpering ceased as his mother sang.

“ _Wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name!_ C’mon Peter.”

“ _And they’re always glad you came!”_ The boy’s watery voice warbled out. Yondu continued to stand there silently until the little melody ended.

His chest began to hurt again when he realized that little tyke and his momma were possibly the only way to defeat Ego.

His plan was to save them. But Aleta and Mainframe were right; this was there their last plan of action.

Yondu hoped this would turn out to be a team effort and not a sacrifice.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meredith continues to cause trouble while Yondu tries to come up with a plan.

Kraglin had been appointed to escort Meredith and Peter to their living quarters after they had calmed down. The young first mate wasn’t entirely positive why his captain had elected him to move the Terrans, but he wasn’t one to question his superior’s motives.

The Xandarian shuffled apprehensively through the maze of corridors with the mother and son duo following close behind him. Neither were very friendly though Kraglin couldn’t blame them; their current circumstances weren’t fantastic.

The Meredith asked a slew of questions while her son gaped at his surroundings with a mixture of fear, confusion, and excitement.

“Where are you taking us?” Her voice was hoarse from her continuous crying and screaming.

“To yer room, ma’am. Only keep cargo on the lower levels. An’ the Cap’n says yer not cargo.” Kraglin futilely attempted to deflect her prying questions.

“You know what I meant.” She groaned, her thick accent becoming more of an exhausted drawl. The wiry young man gulped audibly, tugging at his collar.

“That’s classified, ma’am. ‘Fraid I can’t tell you that. Cap ‘n’s orders.” Kraglin nearly sighed in relief as they turned down the hallway their cabin was situated in.

“Well, you can tell your _Captain_ that he better tell us what in the Billy hell is going on,” Meri clamped her palms over Peter’s ears, “unless he’s dying for me to tear his--”

“Here we is!” Kraglin activated the metal door, effectively cutting off Meredith Quill’s profanity laden speech. He led them into their cramped living quarters. It was dim and hosted a bunk, a matching desk, and an arm chair upholstered in some metallic fabric that ripped open in several sections.

Meredith wrinkled her nose as she eyed the less than accommodating surroundings. Peter wiggled out of her arms to investigate.

“Cool, a bunk bed!” He slithered up the rungs on the side. “Look, mom!”

“I see it, baby. Just be really careful.” Her teeth were on edge as she turned to Kraglin. “Is that thing safe?”

“The bunk? Yeah,” He shrugged, waving his hand, “That’s the least dangerous thing you’ll find ‘round here. Gotta be more worried about the shit we haul; some stuff’s combustible and the crew can be pretty ornery.”

“Oh, if that’s all then!” Meredith dropped into the arm chair, the furniture oozing stuffing. She clutched her sagging head in shaky hands, her mussy blonde hair shrouding her. Kraglin swayed from side to side, not completely sure what the protocol was for comforting a flustered woman.

“Prolly be safe if you and yer and boy stay in here for now. There’s a comm pad on the wall there in case of an emergency. Jus press the green button and talk.” Meredith warily lifted her head. “Don’ make a habit of it if you can help it. Not a lot of the crew is real excited yer here.”

“Great.”

“Now I gotta get back to work.”

“Can I come with you?” Peter’s head suddenly appeared over the side of the bunk.

“Absolutely not!” Meredith snapped. Peter pouted, throwing himself back onto the bed. Kraglin wrung his hands awkwardly, internally thanking the feisty woman. He didn’t need that little shit following him around.

“Cap’n will prolly stop by later, for some briefing or something.”

“Probably? I’d like to talk to that blue bastard now and you’re giving me a ‘probably’?”

“He’s busy right now. And I don’t exactly wanna get chewed out.”

“Why would that bother me?” Meredith crossed her arms, reclining in the chair. A migraine was beginning to pound beneath her eyes but she sure as hell wasn’t about to relinquish her control of the situation.

“He’s gotta pass through this part at some point anyways.” Beads of sweat formed on Kraglin’s brow. He edged towards the doorway, preparing to make a quick exit.

“How can you be so sure? This is a pretty big place.”

“Because he will. Now just sit tight.” Kraglin scurried away before she continued to grill him. Yondu would be down this way eventually. Though he’d probably put it off as long as possible. Once that blonde firecracker found out that the Captain’s sat across the hall, she’d be pounding on his door all night.

 

~~~~~

 

Yondu sat in the bridge. He’d called his best men up on short notice to relay the information Mainframe had presented. Now it was his turn to discuss attacks. He wanted to get some plans put together with his crew before he sent a transmission to Aleta.

The men he had with him wouldn’t bitch about going out of their way to destroy Ego like some others would. They wouldn’t call him soft just for the simple fact that if they pulled this off, the rest of the factions would treat them like heroes. They’d have more jobs, more units, more women. For that alone, they’d help.

Others, like Tullk and Oblo, helped him out of sheer loyalty.

“So, what are we going to do with the Terrans? Leave them here while the shit hits the fan or do you have a drop off point set?” Oblo inquired after a while. Several nodded their heads and grunted in agreement.

“We bring ‘em as bait” Yondu said dryly, looking out into the sprawling constellations.

“With all due respect Cap’n,” Tullk added, “Are you outta yer mind? I thought yer plan was to keep ‘em safe from this bastard. How’s that gonna make us look if we drop ‘em at his doorstep unarmed?”

“Who said anything about leavin’ ‘em unarmed?” Yondu leaned back into the captain’s chair, scratching at his stubble. “Mainframe insisted that maybe the broad’s got somethin’ special bout her too. Maybe that’s why Ego didn’t kill her in the first place.” Yondu’s red eyes fell on Kraglin, who stared back in confusion. “Her and her boy might be the key to it all.”

“How are you gonna get her to kill her boyfriend?” Tullk narrowed his amber eyes, “He’s not exactly gonna tell her about the bones and the other women, now is he?”

“Then I’ll tell her.”

The room was abuzz with chatter after that.

“Alright, alright,” Yondu stood, straightening himself out. “I know she’s not my number one fan or anything. But I think she’ll listen to reason if I explain--”

Static crackled through the comm speaker, followed immediately by a shrill and angry twang.

“I’m not gonna pretend I even know what I’m doin with this damned thing! But don’t think you can just leave me here in the dark. I deserve an explanation you indigo tinted son of a bitch!”

The receiver clicked off. Yondu could feel his blood boil, his nails digging into his rough palms.

Snapping his head around, the Centaurian captain found his first mate to his left. Kraglin stared off into the distance hands stuffed into his pockets. The was a hint of red in his cheeks that crawled up his skinny neck. Yondu’s nostrils flared as his eyes bulged in their sockets. He looked like a feral animal.

“Why in _the hell_ did ya teach her how to use the fuckin’ comm?!”

“She looked like she was damn near close to bawlin’, Cap’n.” Kraglin mumbled, shifting his gaze to his own heavy boots. “All she’s been through, it’s the least I coulda done.”

“Half the crew ain’t two fuckin’ fond of those Terrans to begin with, and now they hear the voice of a helpless woman on the comm, they’re gonna know she’s gotta cabin and is getting’ the whole shit and shebang!” Yondu was hovering over his first mate within seconds, a vein in his neck twitching. “Next thing ya know, I’m a soft pansy ass and I’ve got a mutiny on my hands!”

“Not to mention she’s _only_ woman on the ship.” Tullk added. Yondu froze, blinking rapidly.

“Shit!” He bolted out the door, hustling down to the Terran’s quarters. Kraglin chased after him. Yondu’s tongue prodded the inside of his cheek nervously.

_Maybe I bit off damn more than I could chew_ , he thought bitterly as he raced through the corridors.

He knew he shouldn’t scold Kraglin in front of his other men, but sometimes he doubted his decision to promote someone so young to be his second in command. Sure, the Xandarian was eager, hardworking, and a decent shot with a blaster; but his kindness was bound to get their asses killed.

Ravagers weren’t compassionate. Feelings were secondary in their line of work.

Swallowing all his concerns, the Ravager captain rounded the corner. He clicked a button, unlocking the door. The barrier disappeared with a swoosh as the two men filed in.

Meredith sat in the armchair, legs crossed. Her lips were a thin line, her green eyes wild. Yondu’s thoughts derailed as he took in the sight of her. He’d abducted her off her home planet, and this woman treated _that_ like a minor inconvenience compared to being ignored.

There was a deep burning fire that fueled her. From all the different species of women he had met over the years, Meredith Quill was the gutsiest. Less than twenty-four hours of being acquainted and Yondu was positive of that.

Though he’d never admit it.

She continued to eye him angrily, but made no effort to speak.

“The fuck was that about? Ya know how much trouble that could’ve caused?” Yondu raged. He scanned the room to find Peter stick his head out from the top bunk. The Centaurian cleared his throat to calm himself. He didn’t want to scare the kid.

 But damn was his mother infuriating.

“Oh, I’m sorry. How inconsiderate of me. Not like locking two captives in a room without food, water, or a bathroom.” Her voice was saccharine as she cooed the words out of their cage of pearly whites.

Yondu quelled a snarl he felt playing at his blue lips. Everything was going to be a fight with this one.

“Well, I can’t just let ya go walkin’ around. Ya don’t know where anything is. Plus, these men aren’t in the company of women that often, if ya catch my drift.” Meredith was nonplussed by his attempt to scare her. “Prolly even snatch up the little one for a midnight snack.”

This garnered a yelp from Peter. Kraglin chuckled in response. The kid stuck his tongue out in the Xandarian’s direction before plopping back on the bed.

“I think I can handle myself just fine.” Meri jumped to her feet. She bridged to gap between them, standing on her toes so the top of her head was level with his nose.

“Not if ya don’t know jack shit about this place!” Yondu shook a blue a finger in front of her. Meredith scrunched her face before swatting him away.

“Do that again if you want to live the rest of your days with nine of those!” She propped her hands on her hips.

Yondu moved impossibly close to her, his left leg pushing slightly in-between both of hers in attempt to intimidate her. But she was unflinching.

“Was that a threat?”

“You tell me, Papa Smurf.”

“It’s not very polite to threaten yer host.”

“It’s not very damn nice to lock your guests up without food or place to pee either!” Yondu grimaced. This was going off the rails at high speed. He stepped back.

“Is that all yer worried bout? Finding a pot to piss in and a hot meal?”

“That and something to keep Peter busy. There is nothing more aggravating than a kid saying _I’m bored_ every ten seconds.”

“That it?” He grunted.

“A few answers to a some of my questions would be _greatly_ appreciated.”

Yondu sighed.

“If I take you and the kid for a tour and a chat will you calm down?”

“ _It’ll be a start_.” She hissed.

“I don’t wanna talk!” Peter groaned.

“You’re not staying here by yourself.” Meri dictated with maternal command.

“I don’t wanna stay here either. I don’t have my tapes _or_ my Batman comics. I’m bored.”

An idea hatched in Yondu’s throbbing brain.

“Kraglin’ll show the kid around.”

“No, he won’t.” Meredith protested.

“Yeah, no he won’t.” Kraglin chimed in. Yondu spun to face his string bean of a first mate.

“That ain’t a request.” He turned back to Meredith, “Krag’s here will keep yer boy safe. Prolly find something to keep him busy for a while too.”

Meredith eyed Kraglin warily. He looked to be about Keith’s age, and had just about the same amount of interest in babysitting as her brother did. He seemed harmless enough. Besides, she didn’t know what her discussion with Yondu would entail. It might just scare Peter more so.

“You won’t let him out of your sight?”

“No ma’am.” The skinny man warbled.

“Go ahead, Pete.” Peter hopped down from the bunk and sullenly followed Kraglin. He made his distaste for the first mate obvious.

“What kind of name in Kraglin anyways?” Peter said halfheartedly as he headed out into the corridor.

“Shuddup.” The teen muttered. Their rattling footsteps against the grates faded, leaving the two alone.

Meredith become apprehensive as she stood with Yondu, who shifted his weight from foot to foot. They had their own forms of back up every previous interaction. But being by themselves made them both self-conscious.

“Guess I’ll show ya where the shitter is.” Yondu said, nodding towards the open door.

“How classy.” The blonde rolled her eyes and strode past him, her vigor reignited.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meredith asks questions that Yondu can't answer while Kraglin gets to babysit. Meanwhile, Aleta has an idea.

Kraglin got Peter to the docking bay when the Terran decided this was where the tour would end. The boy sat on the edge of the utility mezzanine looking over the hanger, legs swinging off the side. The Xandarian gingerly sat beside the boy; heights weren’t something he enjoyed.

_Funny how high you are above every planet right now._

Kraglin shuddered at the thought, glancing over at Peter to make sure the kid didn’t fall. Captain Udonta would kill him if the child splatted onto the hard ground.

But Peter was fine. He swung his legs lightly as he took in his surroundings. Unlike his mother, the younger Quill found excitement in the turn of events. His chubby face glowed as he took in the sight of all the ships docked below them.

“Are those space ships?” He said in unadulterated pure fascination and interest.

“Called M-ships.” Kraglin ran his palms across the sparse stubble on his cheeks. “Damn do I wish this would grow in.”

“Why do you need a beard?”

“Beards are real chick magnets.”

“I don’t think the beard is gonna help you.” Peter smirked, leaning against the railing.

“Gotta real mouth on you for a kid yer age y’know? What are ya, like nine or ten?”

“Seven. I’ll be eight in a few months.” The boy turned to face Kraglin, “There’s still birthdays out here, right?”

“What kinda dumbass question is that?” He rolled his eyes at that, still smoothing his hands across his uneven stubble.

Peter shrugged.

“Never been anywhere but Earth. How should I know what it’s like?” Peter rested his chin against the guardrail, the metal cool against his soft skin. He peered out the corner of his eyes, seeing Kraglin continue fuss with his face. “Maybe it’ll grow in when you hit puberty.”

Kraglin raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed by the kid.

“How the hell you’d come up with that one?”

“Grandpa Jack tells my uncle that all the time. How old are you anyways?”

“Eighteen.”

“I wouldn’t count on that beard coming’ in.”

“Yer a real jerk, ain’t cha?”

“You are too!” Peter shot back defensively.

It had been like that for hours. Yondu was still with Meredith and Kraglin was stuck with her problem child. Kids got bored easily and Kraglin didn’t have much to keep Peter busy. Most words they shared were smartass remarks.

He knew it couldn’t be easy to adjust to everything that had happened. Kraglin remembered when Yondu rescued him after his mother died. He wandered a few days by himself, hungry and thirsty. He’d be dead if Yondu hadn’t found him when he did.

But that was different.

They had plucked the Quill’s from their living family on Terra. A planet whose top officials kept “extra-terrestrial” life a well-hidden secret. Meredith and Peter had no idea aliens existed until a little more than a day ago.

Kraglin looked at Peter. The boy was quite mature for a 7-year-old. The Xandarian figured that he was probably forced to grow up faster than he wanted, much like himself.

It was time to quit giving the poor kid so much shit.

“What’s it like down on Terr-, uh, Earth?” His voice pulled Peter from his daze.

“Huh?’

“I’ve really own heard stories about it. Nova Corps ain’t too fond of us going there. You Terrans spook pretty easily.”

“We have movies about space. Some music too. My mom’s favorite singer, David Bowie? He used to pretend he was an alien named Ziggy Stardust.”

“Is that the kinda names Terrans think aliens have? “Ziggy Stardust”?” Kraglin chuckled a little bit.

“Ziggy Stardust is worse than Kraglin? I mean, your first name should be Pork.”

Kraglin knit his brows in confusion.

“Get it? Pork Kraglin? Like a pork cracklin’?” His green eyes grew large in amusement as he stifled a laugh.

“First off, I don’t know what the hell a “pork cracklin” even is. And second, my first name _is_ Kraglin. Obfonteri’s my family name.” Kraglin propped his folded arms across the safety bar.

“Your name is Kraglin Obfonteri and you think Ziggy Stardust is stupid?” Peter giggled. Kraglin fought to suppress grin playing at the corners of his lips.

“Shuddup.” He muttered, burying the lower half of his face in his arms. “What else you have there.”

“Lots. We have Super Mario, chocolate ice cream, _Top Gun_. And we have birthdays.”

“We have birthdays here. And a bunch of holidays too.” Kraglin said.

Peter smiled contently before ambushing Kraglin.

“You think I could fly one of those?”

 

~~~~~

 

Meredith speared the foreign vegetable with her fork, examining it. Yondu had ordered someone in the kitchen to prepare a plate of food for her and Peter. The large, scaly man muttered something about it being after lunch hours before lumbering back into the galley.

“For fucks sake, will ya eat it already?” Yondu snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

Meredith flinched before scraping her teeth across the rough red skin of the plant. Realizing that it wouldn’t harm her, she popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewing it quickly.

“It’s ‘bout damn time.”

“Will you stop it?” She pointed her fork at him. “This is a lot to take in. I’m still not completely sure I believe all of this.” Meri poked at another veggie with her fork.

“It’s all real, I promise ya that.” Yondu had his legs stretched across the bench and back propped against the wall as he twirled his Yaka between his fingers. Meredith eyed the weapon uneasily.

“Could you please put that away?”

Yondu rolled his eyes, returning the arrow to his holster.

“Ya happy?” He twisted in his seat to face her.

“No. But I feel slightly safer.” Meri kept her green eyes on her plate. “How long are Peter and I staying here?”

“Dunno. Not yet anyhow. Least till yer not in danger.”

“And going back to Earth isn’t an option?”

“Not right now.”

“You said you know Eric?” Yondu flinched at the mention of Ego’s alias. “You can leave us with him and he’ll take care of us.”

_Or I could blast you both out the air lock and save him some time._

The Centaurian had been able to answer a handful of Meredith Quill’s hundreds of questions. He wished he could tell her more, but she’d never believe him if he did.

Why should she?

That bastard had her buffaloed alright. Every time she mentioned his name, her eyes sparkled and her cheeks turned pink. It was obvious that Meredith was a stubborn woman and wasn’t easily convinced. He’d have to slowly reveal Ego’s plan.

Hopefully then she’d see the light.

“It ain’t safe with him either.” He showed his jagged veneers. Meredith cringed at the sight of his teeth. Yondu clamped his mouth shut quickly, suddenly feeling insecure.

“How can you be so sure?” Meredith whined. “Besides, Eric would love to see his boy!”

“I bet he would,” Yondu muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” Meri challenged him.

“Nothin. I dunno where he’s at anyways.”

“So, we just stay here? We don’t have any clean clothes and Peter doesn’t have his Walkman.”

“We got a tailor. He can make you both some clothes. As fer other belongings, you’ll have to start earnin’ units to get some replacements.”

“What in God’s good graces is a unit?”

“Money, dollface.” He shot her a lurid grin. Meri was about to make a snarky response when a man came sliding into the mess hall.

“Cap’n,” Oblo panted. “We have a problem.”

Yondu swiveled his head to face the Krylorian.

“What kinda problem?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Concerning, uh, what we were discussing earlier.” Oblo’s eyes scanned Meredith. He didn’t want to let on that he was referring to Ego.

“Huh?” Yondu’s brow crinkled as realization dawned on him. He pounded the table with a fist before jumping up and striding towards the doorway. “Goddammit.”

“Wait!” Meredith screeched behind him. “You’re just going to leave me here?” She was completely stupefied.

“I’ll have Kraglin take you and Peter to find some clothes and show you to a washroom.” He called behind him. He picked up his pace as he strode towards the elevator. Oblo attempted to match his wide gait.

“Send a coded transmission to Aleta and tell her to get her ass over here ASAP. Then find Kraglin and the kid and tell him to book it to the mess hall.”

“Yessir.” Oblo sounded out of breath. Yondu jumped into the elevator shaft, when the Krylorian blocked the door from closing. “What are you going to tell him?”

“Guess I’ll feed him a line of bullshit and hope he bites.”

The man nodded at his superior as he ran off to the control room. The door slid shut with a thud. Yondu felt his gut churn as the lift shot up at light speed.

 

~~~~~

 

**Nova Corps Headquarters, Xandar**

Three captains of the most well renowned factions sat at a table headed by Tanak Vaalt. Since Yondu’s exile, Stakar had taken precautions to stop such an event from happening again. Instead of being offered units not to cause trouble, Starhawk offered Nova Prime Vaalt the assistance of reputable clans. Sure, they still stole whatever they pleased, like it was their right. But Ogord thought it’d be wise to extend their services to protecting endangered planets across the galaxy.

For a price, of course.

Aleta sat sandwiched between Stakar and Fennek Wulf as Vaalt listed several new possible missions. Wulf was like most Spartoi, handsome and rugged. He was a fighter as well as a lover and made his attraction to the Arcturan woman apparent. Aleta assumed partly to make Stakar jealous.

“We also have been called upon by the High Priestess Ayesha, one of the ancient beings of the planet Sovereign.”

A perfectly sculpted golden face was projected on the screen in front of them. Fennek covered Aleta’s small hand with his own. Hearing Stakar snarl, Aleta rolled her eyes and shoved Wulf’s hand away with such force that he smacked himself in the face.

Stakar had to stifle a laugh as the Spartoi muttered a string of profanities under his breath. Vaalt stopped mid-sentence to address the disturbance.

“Ogord, the offer of your service is greatly appreciated. But if you and your colleagues refuse to take the matters at hand seriously, we can find help elsewhere.”

“I will apologize for the childish behavior of my colleagues.” Aleta spoke when no one else made the effort, taking pleasure in the angry grumbles she heard in stereo.

“Very well, Captain. Now, uh, where was I?” Vaalt turned to his protégé, the sharp faced Irani Rael, to re-route the briefing.

“The Sovereign’s pleading for help to defeat an abilisk, sir. Not that they’d ever admit to begging lesser individuals, such as ourselves, for assistance.” Rael’s platinum blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, making her features appear severely angular.

“That’s correct. The abilisk is attracted to the annulax batteries that are common on the planet. The monsters are drawn to the energy the batteries produce. They’re are quite fragile and highly explosive. If the abilisk were to destroy the casing and devour the batteries, the entire planet could be obliterated by nuclear holocaust.”

Aleta had been looking at her portable comm when she caught the last part of Vaalt’s spiel. An epiphany hit her.

Annulax batteries.

There was a reason the Sovereign took such care of them. They were valuable, yes, but also deadly in large quantities.

“My team would be honored to assist the Sovereign with the abilisk.” Aleta interrupted Vaalt. The Nova Prime furrowed his brows.

“Wouldn’t you like to hear the rest? The Sovereign are very temperamental and difficult to work with.”

“With all due respect, sir.” Aleta said through a tight smile. “I like a challenge.”

Stakar smirked at that, earning him a venomous stare in response. Just then, Aleta’s comm began to buzz. She was receiving a coded transmission. It was flagged as urgent.

_What the hell is he up to now?_

She cleared her throat.

“I hate to leave so early.” Aleta struggled to keep her composure. “But I’m receiving an emergency transmission from my ship. I need to meet with my crew and reconfigure Mainframe.”

“By all means, Captain Ogord.” Vaalt was annoyed, but he wouldn’t stop her. Dealing with Ravagers wasn’t an activity he much enjoyed.

But it wasn’t the Nova Prime she was worried about. And it wasn’t his dark eyes that bore into the back of her head as she turned to leave.

“Aleta,” Stakar’s gravelly voice commanded.

“Yes?” She stared at him, terrified he’d caught onto her rouse. He eyed her suspiciously.

“Stay safe.” He stated.

Aleta bristled at the thinly veiled threat.

“I plan to.”

And then she was gone


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu takes a call from Ego. Meredith's boredom leads to an altercation with a troublesome crew member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter! I am so, so sorry for the very unplanned wait. I wanted to get everything revised before I added new content. Thanks for reading and/or reviewing, it means a lot! I don't have an exact time table for when I'll be able to update next, but I do know where I want this story to go so I'll be able to crank out chapters faster. Enjoy, guys!

Yondu charged into the bridge, heaving after nearly sprinting across half of the ship.

“What the hell happened to you?” Tullk sniggered amusedly, “Get a little somethin’ somethin’ from Ego’s old lady?”

Yondu’s eyes went wide as he wiped sweat from his forehead and neck.

“Wha- No!” Yondu stammered.

“Relax, Cap. Just bustin’ your balls.”

“What’s he want?” Yondu ignored him, before dropping unceremoniously into the captain’s chair.

“You know what it is.” Tullk shot him a grim look.

“Keep the crew occupied.”

“Alright.” Tullk clapped Yondu on the shoulder as he passed him. “Here’s to hope you’re good at thinking on your feet. Though I ‘spose it’s on your ass for you.”

Yondu stared at the paused transmission screen, flinching slightly when the door clamped shut after Tullk. Taking in a deep breath, he pressed _Resume Call._

Ego’s irritated expression was projected in front of him. His extension was looking haggard, sporting rugged facial hair and blood shot eyes.

“Bout damn time you pick up.” He snapped.

“Well, ya have my attention.” Yondu crossed his leg and curled his arms behind his head. “Whaddya want?”

“Don’t play games with me, Udonta.”

“I’m not much for playing games. I prefer to just say what’s on my mind.” Yondu challenged.

“Do you have them?”

Yondu only smirked and cocked an eyebrow. Ego growled in frustration.

“ _Do you have them or not?”_ Ego inquired through a clenched jaw.

“Ya should really be more careful with your valuables,” Yondu flipped through his console boredly. His nerves were set on edge as he tried to rationalize his next move.

“What do you mean?” Ego narrowed his eyes.

“Now’s not the time to start playin’ dumb, assmunch.”

“You’ll bring me what’s mine if you know what’s good for you.”

“Too bad for ya that I’m a damned masochist.” Yondu rubbed at his clammy palms. “And last I checked, ya can’t own another person.”

“I can’t help but think the Kree would argue that.”

Yondu could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He didn’t care anymore.

“If ya want em so bad, come and get em.”

He ended the transmission abruptly. Planning was never his strong suit; Yondu Udonta preferred to improvise. But now he was playing a deadly game, and he wasn’t alone. One wrong moved and he’d get them all killed.

The comm rang back to life, ringing loudly to life. Yondu jumped, fearing it was Ego. After all, he was a man of many words and very little action. Or at least Yondu was hoping for that to be true.

Aleta’s name scrolled across the screen instead. He scrambled to accept the call, attempting to hide all signs of distress.

“Stakar might be on to us,” she huffed, “This better be damn good.”

“I need ya to make us disappear for a while.”

Aleta’s irritability washed away, a wry smile playing at her lips.

“Why didn’t you say so?”

 

~~~~~

 

“What do you do for fun around here?” Peter asked, mouth full of sugary sweet cake. Kraglin led the two around the ship aimlessly.

“Hell, whatever we want.” Kraglin shrugged, “I like to take my ship out and do barrel rolls or go shootin’.”

“Like guns?” Peter wiped his mouth with the back of arm before bounding up to Kraglin’s side.

“Peter.” Meredith warned, grabbing for him.

“Yeah. Except blasters are _way_ more dangerous. There’s some that can evaporate people to dust.”

“Cool!”

“ _Peter_.” Meredith scolded again.

“Grandpa was gonna teach me to shoot.” Peter challenged his mother.

“Yes, with a rifle. To shoot deer.”

“But _mom_ …” Peter whined.

“Absolutely not.”

The boy stuck his lower lip, and pouted.

“So when do you I get to see Eric?” Meredith asked suddenly, catching Kraglin off guard.

“Eric?” The teen scratched his head. “Oh, you mean Ego.”

“ _Ego?”_

“Ego’s his name. That other one is an alias I guess.”

Meredith’s brow knit. Everything was becoming too weird too fast.

“When do I get to him?’

“I dunno. Cap’n doesn’t know much either.”

“One hell of a leader he must be.” Meredith retorted.

“Best watch that mouth ‘round him.” Kraglin warned half heartedly. “Has one helluva temper, that man.”

“So do I.”

The three silently walked down corridor after corridor, the bumbling first mate pointing out areas of interest as they passed them.

“Now this right here is the armory.” Kraglin ushered them by a thick steel door, complete with a keypad for admittance. “Most dangerous room on the whole ship.”

“Can we go in?” Peter begged.

“NO!” Meredith glowered.

“You never let me do anything!” Peter shouted.

“Excuse me?” She returned her son’s angry glare. “I let you do a hell of a lot more than I should. But I’ll be damned if I let you out of my sight when we’re in freaking outer space!”

The two continued to argue loudly. Kraglin shifted uncomfortably; he was supposed to keep them from drawing attention to themselves. He gulped heavily before stepping between the to.

“All the blasters have safety controls on ‘em and are hung up on racks. Nothin’ll happen.”

“You said it was the most dangerous room on the ship.”

“It is if touch stuff, but as long as lil Petey here keeps his hands off shit, we won’t have a problem.”

“ _Petey_?” Peter crinkled his nose in disgust.

“Whatever.” Kraglin waved a hand in response.

Meredith suspiciously stared at Kraglin for a long time.

“Fine.” Edging in closer, she sternly shook a finger in Kraglin’s face. “But if one hair on his head is harmed, I will destroy you and every bastard on this damn thing.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The teen stammered.

“Good.” Meredith crouched down in front of Peter. “Now you listen to what’s his name here, okay baby? Don’t touch anything.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Peter murmured confusedly.

“I’m take a walk and clear my head.” She tousled his lightly, “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

Kissing him on the forehead, Meri stood up and continued down the hallway they were in.

“You really shouldn’t go wondering by yourself.” Kraglin called after her, faint relief in his voice since he’d only have to babysit one Terran for the time being.

“Don’t worry,” she examined her palms as swaggered away, purple sparks flickering at her fingertips. “I’ll be just fine.”

 

~~~~~

 

Meredith was apprehensive as she wandered through the Eclector. Any shred of confidence she had dissipated the further she went. First she was scared she would run across the mythic crew; but it was dead silent. Now she just wanted to see another face to remind her she wasn’t alone. And if that face proved to be a threat, she’d zap them and run like hell.

Now in the bowels of the ship, the lights became dimmer. She found familiar territory as she passed the room she and Peter were caged in. Shuddering, she picked up her pace until she heard voices. Panic and excitement mingled inside of her.

Carefully treading closer, she found a heavy door propped open with a massive slab of rock. Peaking her head in, Meredith found what appeared to be the engine room. A short flight of stairs dipped into a pit filled with hissing and wheezing machinery. Disembodied voices echoed about, starling her.

“What the hell do you think he’s gonna do with ‘em?” A high voice rang out. Meredith crept down the stairs and hid herself behind a row of engines; several appeared to be broken.

“Cap’n doesn’t have patience for anyone.” A much deeper voice said. “I say he’ll shoot em out the airlock before we even get close to Ego.”

The two men chuckled darkly before spouting off again. Meredith decided to tune them out and looked and the disemboweled engine in front of her. It was a control panel of some kind, labeled in some language that reminded Meri of hieroglyphics.

Kneeling next to it, Meredith scrounged through the discarded pile of tools on the floor. Meredith Quill had never been a woman of many talents. She couldn’t cook or shoot a gun: the two staples of life in the Midwest. But she could sing like a nightingale and had enough mechanical skills to work in the pit at the Indy 500. And since singing a few bars of Auld Lang Syne wouldn’t be any help, Meri took a strange wrench and a huge bolt and began to put pipes and valves back together.

She sat hunched over for a long time, messing around with tools and parts until there was deep _clunk_ from with the inner mechanics. Meredith froze in fear of being found.

“What was that?” the deep voiced man said.

“Dunno.” The two dismissed it and went back to yammering. Meri breathed a sigh of relief, then a loud whirring began. Her eyes went wind and she desperately tried to turn the heavy wheel that would hopefully cut off the valves. But it was futile. Heavy footsteps came her way and Meredith scrambled to her feet.

“What the hell are you doing down here?” A scaly, reptilian like man charged towards.

“Fuck!” She screamed, turning to run away. However, a large man blocked her way.

“That’s not very lady like,” he smirked, before gripping her by the neck and holding her off the ground.

 

~~~~~

 

“How do ya ‘spose I’m gonna help you with the Sovereign?” Yondu paced across the expanse of the bridge as he plotted with Aleta. As it was projected, she did the same on _Steel Lady._

“Get some contraband, do some arms trafficking. We need heavy duty stuff to keep that abilisk down.”

“Why can’t ya do that yerself?”

“I still have _my_ reputation to upkeep.”

“ _Ouch.”_ Yondu joked, “That jus ‘bout hurt all two of my feelin’s.”

Aleta smiled warmly for the first time in years.

“In all seriousness, I can’t afford to get caught.” Her face dark, “Not since Stakar’s asinine deal with Tanak Valt.”

“Taken care of.” Yondu sat back down in the captain’s chair. “Now, about Ego.”

“We can’t outrun him forever,” she warned him of the obvious, “But Mainframe updated her interface a while back; she’s gotta bunch of scramblers and jammers in her arsenal. That’ll buy us plenty of time for now. Plus, Freesha’s a whiz kid when it comes to all that tech mumbo jumbo.”

“Ya gotta hell of a team, Aleta.”

“With my neck on the line, I have to.”

Yondu opened his mouth, about the speak when Tullk into the bridge.

“Cap’n Ogord,” He thumped his chest at Aleta’s projection before turning to Yondu. “We gotta situation in the engine room.”

“Can’t ya take care of it?” He made no attempt to hide his annoyance. Planning a hero making comeback took time.

“It’s the woman, sir.” Yondu’s red irises grew wide, before struggling to his feet and rushing towards the door.

“I’ll call you back about arrangements, Aleta!” he rasped.

“Just take care of your captive and we’ll talk soon.”

Yondu would have had a snide comment for that if his brain wasn’t preoccupied with the well-being of that rascally Quill woman.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu discovers Meredith's secret.

Skidding into the engine room, Yondu expected to find the corpse of a small Terran woman. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight before his eyes. Taser Face lay unconscious on the floor, a hole burned through his jacket, leaving a patch of charred skin on his chest. Brahl knelt beside him.

“What in the fuck happened down here?”

“Her!” Brahl pointed a scaley finger at Meredith, who stood behind the combustion tank. Instead of being frightened, Meredith was crouched like a wildcat. Her arms were extended front of her, and she was ready to pounce.

“How in the hell did _she_ do _that_? She doesn’t have a weapon on her!”

“She doesn’t one, Cap’n.” Brahl said darkly, voice deep and foreboding.

“Have ya gone fuckin insane?”

The Archenonian said nothing, merely lifting his hands like Meredith’s and staring at her. Yondu was about start laughing when Meredith spoke suddenly.

“I was only trying to help, y-you goons!” She shrieked. Her hands shook, fingers curling. That’s when Yondu understood. Her small hands developed an iridescent shine before glowing like purple flames.

 

~~~~~

****

Yondu and Meredith were quiet. Not sure where else to take her, the Ravager dragged her into his quarters, sitting her down on the sofa. After what seemed like an incessant slew of bellowing and crying, he sat on the far end of the couch, handing her a torn handkerchief.

Meri stared at the expansive room, eyes not seeing. Right now, she just felt as her emotions churred in her gut and brain.

“Is that big guy gonna be alright?” She whispered.

“He’ll be fine, ya just stunned him.” Yondu looked at Meredith. She was spitfire, even in her downtrodden state she refused to wipe at her tears or even look in his direction.

“How did ya—”

“I don’t know.” She cut him off sternly.

“Ya’ve been here one and already causing trouble,” Yondu chuckled.

“What’re are gonna do to me?” Her voice was deep and breathy, the words shooting straight to Yondu’s groin. Here was this woman he wanted to keep safe from a monster, and he was getting turned on. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, flesh and blood or machine, but now was not the time. Even he was dignified enough to admit that.

_Who’s the monster now, you sick bastard?_

“Nothin’. I just wanna ask you some questions.”

“O-okay.” She mumbled, before turning to face him, hugging her knees against her.

“What the hell were ya doing in the engine room to begin with?” Yondu’s eyes creased as his red irises bore into her mossy ones. Meri, broke their gaze, staring off and biting her thumb nail.

“I just wanted to clear my thoughts and be alone for a minute.”

“And what kinda idiot does that when she was told not to?” Yondu was trying to ignite the flame, bring that feistiness back. Granted he hadn’t known her long, but Yondu knew that despaired melancholy wasn’t didn’t suit Meredith Quill.

“A lot had happened to me in the last day, asshole.” She snapped her gaze to his. “And I haven’t gotten to process that yet.”

“There she is,” He grinned.

“Fuck you.”

“You wish, honey.” He whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Why were you in the engine room?”

“The door was open,” she shrugged. “I used to fix cars with daddy on Earth. I like mechanics. Then Crater Face introduced himself by very rudely picking me up by the neck so I used my little secret to get him off me.”

She traced slender fingers down her neck subconsciously.

“You got those combustion hoses and compression fans workin somehow.”

“That’s what those are?”

“Been broken for awhile, had to gut it and never got it workin’. Yer tellin’ me that ya just messed around with it a bit and ya got it runnin’?”

“I may have used a little help.” She mumbled, still biting at her nail. Yondu smirked.

“Look, yer gonna be here for a while and yer gonna need cash. I could cay give ya some units if ya say, do some repairs around here.”

“Bribery?”

“I’m not into slave labor,” His eyes went dark. She tried to search his expression causing him to panic and turn away.

“Jus’ go check on yer boy and get out of here before everyone gets the wrong idea. I got stuff I gotta work on.” He said curtly, pushing himself to his feet and stalking back into the dark depths of his quarters.

Meredith sat there confused, mouth gaping. She gathered her thoughts and scurried out of the room, in search of Peter.

 

~~~~~

 

_Steel Lady_ was bustling as Aleta and her crew made preparations for their mission on Sovereign. All her conversations with High Priestess Ayesha had been less than pleasant; the words haughty and egotistical came to mind.

But convincing them to spare any annulax batteries was going to be difficult. Ayesha maybe a pure-bread and dignified woman, but she was still a woman. Aleta just needed some bait, equally arrogant bait.

An idea popped into her head. The Arcturan raced to her quarters, for her comm. If she was going to enlist Fennek Wulf, she wasn’t going to use a transmission; she didn’t want to be face to face with that sleaze.

But the Sovereign and Spartoi were both genetically perfect and coupled for centuries. Maybe she could lure him by the prospect of doing the deed herself.

Aleta shuddered at the thought of Wulf in bed; he was probably so gentle and would look a woman in her eyes. How disgusting. The only positive was that the man could probably be easily dominated.

That lifted her spirits. Aleta ducked into her quarters and got her portable out it’s charger. Deftly, she pressed several buttons.

A minute later, Fennek was on the line, voice sultry and alluring. The man was good at his time, not to mention her own.

“I told you to call me whenever you wanted,” His voice was annoyingly sweet. “Didn’t think it’d take you half a decade to take me up on the offer. So, what’re you wearing?”

“Ever the charmer, Wulf.” She sneered.

“I kid, darling.”

“Call me “darling” again and you’ll live the rest of your life as a eunuch.”

“Feisty. Not most women would threaten castration over a comm call.”

“I’m not most women, Fennek.” Her voice was stern and unflinching. “Would you mind if I cut to the chase?”

“By all means.”

She could almost see he him simper and bat his eyes, making her cringe. Shaking the thought, Aleta continued.

“I need your help with the Sovereign mission.”

“Why the sudden interest in a team-up?”

“Annulax batteries. Maybe you could convince the high priestess to lend us some. I’ll split them with you and you can make some dough.”

“Convince?” He chuckled richly.

“Are you in or not?” She huffed.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get jealous?”

“I’ll manage.”

“Fine. I’m in. But why the sudden interest in Sovereign artifacts?”

“There’s a chance of a lay and a heap of units, that’s all you need to know.”

“Protective of your secrets, I like that.”

“I’ll send you the details.”

Ending the call, she tossed the device on her bed. She often wondered why she was even trying help Yondu redeem himself. Maybe she really longed to have the stability of her past back, to have her family back. She felt childish, but she would give anything to have everything back. She’d risk everything for a chance.

Even though she expected to be accompanying Yondu in exile.

 

~~~~~

Peter was starting to wind down, for which Kraglin was grateful for. He had been nominated to keep the boy safe after his mother’s incident with Taser Face. Now they were both sitting in Kraglin’s quarters playing card games. Peter didn’t understand the Xandarian letters and numbers, so they resorted to matching colors and symbols.

The problem was that is excruciatingly boring. The teen absentmindedly slapped down another card. Peter huffed, tossing the cards to the ground.

“Why’d you do that for?”

“Because that’s the sixth time you’ve won in a row!” Peter whined, before laying back on the ground in defeat.

“I wasn’t even trying.” Kraglin shrugged, trying to lift the kid’s spirits.

“Who cares.”

“Why don’t you tell me more about your planet?” Kraglin crawled on his bed, kicking his feet up and closing his eyes.

“Why, so you can take a nap?”

“Talking made you happy before.”

“Yeah, it did. But mom said we might not get to go back. I don’t wanna get homesick.” The last part was drowned out by a quiet sob.

“If you talk about it, then you won’t forget it.” Kraglin sat up and stared at the kid apprehensively.

Peter laid unmoving, body heaving from crying. His hands covered his eyes, trying to save his dignity. Slowly, he unfurled his arms and sat up.

“I wanna go home,” He said solemnly. His eyes were big and scared. Kraglin had no idea what to do. He saw something familiar in the kid. He had been excited at first, but the homesickness had snuck up on him and kept him up all night in tears.

Then he had an idea.

“You wanna go inside an M-ship?” He offered, secretly wishing Peter would say know. But the smiled lightly.

“Can I sit in the driver’s seat?” He was on his feet quickly, raring to go.

“Sure.”

“Can I take it out for a spin?”

Kraglin shook his head, walking out the door.

“No,” he yelled back as walked speedily down the corridor.

“Killjoy,” Peter said in ragged breaths as he ran to catch up. The kid would fit into the crew, in due time.

 


End file.
